NOTES 

- 1031 - 



■HMBHCHMnaHNi 



EXPLANATORY AND PRACTICAL, 



ON THE 



GENERAL EPISTLES 

OF 

JAMES, PETER, JOHN AND JUDE. 

faMj.Kl^ datULt, <s^Utlc4^ fg£td i 



BY ALBERT BARNES. 



NEW YORK: 

HARPER & BROTHERS, PUBLISHERS, 
329 & 331 PEARL STREET, 
FRANKLIN SQUARE. 

18 60. 



Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1847. by 

Albert Barnes, 
In the Clerk's Office of the Eastren District of Pennsylvania 



Gift from 
Judge and Mrs. Isaac R. Hitt 
Nov. 17, 1931 




GENERAL INTRODUCTION 



TO THE 

SEVEN CATHOLIC EPISTLES. 



§ 1. The Antiquity and Reason of the term General or Catholic, applied 

to these Epistles. 

The .seven Epistles embraced in the New Testament between the Epistle to 
the Hebrews and the book of Revelation, are denoted by the term General 01 
Catholic (xa^o%Lxai). This word does not occur in the New Testament, except 
In the inscriptions to these epistles ; and these inscriptions are no part of the 
inspired writings, and are of no authority, as it is evident that the writers them- 
selves would not affix the title to them. Indeed, the term is not applied with 
strict propriety to the second and third Epistles of John ; but those Epistles are 
ranked under the general appellation, because they were usually annexed to his 
first Epistle in transcribing, partly because they were the work of the same 
author, and partly because they were so small, that there might otherwise be 
danger of their being lost — Michae'lis. The Greek word catholic (xa^oXtxau) 
applied to these Epistles, means general, universal; and it was given to them 
because they were not addressed to particular churches or individuals, but to 
Christians at large. Even the Epistles of Peter, however, as well as the second 
and third of John, had originally a definite direction, and were designed for cer- 
tain specified churches and Christians, as really as the Epistle to the Romans or 
Corinthians. See 1 Pet. i. 1. There is, therefore, no good reason for retaining 
the title now, and it is omitted in the editions of Tittman and Hahn. It was, 
however, early applied to the Epistles, and is found in most of the editions and 
versions of the New Testament. Thus Eusebius, having given an account of 
James, called the Just, and our Lord's brother, says, "Thus far concerning this 
James, who is said to be the author of the first of the Epistles called catholic" 
In another place he says, " That, in his Institutions, Clement of Alexandria had 

(iii) 



VI 



GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 



books which were admitted were received because there was evidence that they 
were genuine which satisfied the church at large, and they were recognised as 
canonical by common consent. 

(3.) It has been observed above, that there never was any positive evidence 
against the authority and genuineness of the disputed books. But, as Hug has 
remarked (p. 607), even the negative argument loses much of ks force when its 
character is considered. Such is their brevity, that it was less easy to establish 
their authority, or to demonstrate their authorship by any internal evidence, than 
in regard to the longer Epistles. It happened, also, from the brevity of the 
Epistles, that they were less frequently quoted by the early Fathers than the 
longer ones were, and hence it was more difficult to demonstrate that they were 
early received. But it is clear that this arose, not from any thing in the Epistles 
which was calculated to excite suspicion as to their origin, but from the nature 
of the case. On the supposition that they are genuine, and were early regarded 
as genuine, this difficulty would be as great as on the supposition that they are 
not. But if so, the difficulty is manifestly of no force. On this whole subject, 
the reader may find all that is necessary to be said in the Prolegomena of Kopp« 
In Epistolas Cathoiicas. See also Hug's Intro., § 151, 152. 



THE 



GENERAL EPISTLE OF JAMES. 



INTRODUCTION. 



§ 1. The Question who was the Author of this Epistle. 

There have been more difficult questions raised in regard to the Epistle oi 
James than perhaps any other portion of the New Testament. Those questions 
it is of importance to examine as fully as is consistent with the design of these 
Notes ; that is, so far as to enable a candid inquirer to see what is the real diffi- 
culty in the case, and what is, so far as can be ascertained, the truth. 

The first question is, Who was the author 1 It has been attributed to one of 
three persons : — to James « the elder/ the son of Zebedee, and brother of John ; 
to James « the less,' son of Alpheus or Cleophas ; and to a James of whom no- 
thing more is known. Some have supposed, also, that the James who is men- 
tioned as the < Lord's brother' (Gal. i. 19), was a different person from James 
the son of Alpheus. 

There are no methods of determining this point from the Epistle itself. All 
that can be established from the Epistle is, (1.) That the name of the author was 
JameSy ch. i. 1; (2.) That he professed to be a" servant of God," ch. i. 1 ; (3.) That 
he had been probably a Jew, and sustained such a relation to those to whom he 
wrote as to make it proper for him to address them with authority ; and, (4.) That 
he was a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, ch. ii. 1 ; v. 8. 

There are two persons, if not three, of the name of James, mentioned in the 
New Testament. The one is James, the son of Zebedee. Matt. iv. 21. Mark 
iii. 17. Luke vi. 14. Acts i. 13, et al. He was the brother of John, and is usually 
mentioned in connexion with him. Matt. iv. 21; xvii. 1. Mark v. 37; xiii. 3,et al. 
The name of their mother was Salome. Comp. Matt, xxvii. 56, with Mark xv. 40. 
He was put to death by Herod Agrippa, about A. C.41. Acts xii. 2. He was 
called the major, or the elder — to distinguish him from the other James, the 
younger, or the less, Mark xv. 40 ; called also, in ancient history, James the 
Just. 

The other James was a son of Alpheus or Cleophas. Matt. x. 3. Mark 
iii. 18. Acts i. 13. Luke xxiv. 18. That Alpheus and Cleophas was the same 
person is evident from the fact that both the words are derived from the Hebrew 
*3Sn — hfralphi. The name of the mother of this James was Mary (Mark xv 
40) ; and James, and Joses, and Fimon, and Judas, are mentioned as brethren. 
Matt xiii. 55. There is also a ranaes mentioned in Matt. xiii. 55. Mark vi. 3 

(vii) 



INTRODUCTION. 



and Gal. i. 19 , as a "brother of our Lord." On the meaning of this expressions 
s*e Notes on Gal. i. 19. 

It has been a question which has been agitated from the earliest times, whethei 
the James who is mentioned as the son of Alpheus, and the James who is men- 
tioned as the « Lord's brother," were the same or different persons. It is not 
necessary for the purposes of these Notes to go into an examination of this ques- 
tion. Those who are disposed to see it pursued, may consult Hug's Intro., § 158, 
and the wcrks there referred to ; Neander's History of the Planting and Training 
of the Christian Church, vol. ii. p. 2, seq., Edin. Ed.; and Michaelis' Intro., vol 
iv. 271, seq. The question, says Neander, is one of the most difficult in the 
apostolic history. Hug supposes that James the son of Alpheus, and James the 
brother of the Lord, were the same. Neander supposes that the James men- 
tioned by the title of the " Lord's brother" was a son of Joseph, either by a for- 
mer marriage, or by Mary, and consequently a •'< brother" in the stricter sense. 

It is remarked by Michaelis, that James may have been called « the Lord's 
brother," or mentioned as one of his brethren, in one of the following senses : 
(1.) That the persons accounted as the "brethren of the Lord" (Matt. xiiL 55, 
et al.) were the sons of Joseph, not by Mary the mother of Jesus, but by a for- 
mer wife. This, says he, was the most ancient opinion, and there is in it nothing 
improbable. If so, they were older than Jesus. (2.) It may mean that they 
were the sons of Joseph by Mary, the mother of Jesus. Comp. Notes on Matt, 
xiii. 55. If so, James was an own brother of Jesus, but younger than he. There 
is nothing in this opinion inconsistent w T ith any statement in the Bible ; for the 
notion of the perpetual virginity of Mary is not founded on the authority of the 
Scriptures. If either of these suppositions were true, however, and James and 
Judas, the authors of the Epistles which bear their names, were literally the 
brothers of Christ, it would follow that they were not apostles ; for the elder apostle 
James was the son of Zebedee, and James the younger was the son of Alpheus. 
(3.) A third opinion in relation to James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas, is, 
that they were the sons of Joseph by the widow of a brother who had died with- 
out children, and to whom, therefore, Joseph, by the Mosaic laws, was obliged 
to raise up issue. This opinion, however, is entirely unsupported, and is wholly 
improbable ; for (a) the law which obliged the Jews to take their brothers' 
widows applied only *o those who were single (Michaelis); and (6) if this had 
been an instance of that kind, all the requirement of the law in the case would 
have been satisfied when one heir was born. (4.) It might be maintained that, 
according to the preceding opinion, the brother of Joseph was Alpheus, and then 
they would be reckoned as his sons ; and in this case, the James and Judas who 
are called the brothers of Jesus, would have been the same as the apostles of that 
name. But, in that case, Alpheus would not have been the same as Cleopas, 
for Cleopas had a wife — the sister of Joseph's wife. (5.) A fifth opinion, and 
one which was advanced by Jerome, and which has been extensively maintained, 
is, that the persons referred to were called 'brethren' of the Lord Jesus only in a 
-somewhat lax sense, as denoting his near kinsmen. See Notes on Gal. i. 19. 
According to this, they would have been cousins of the Lord Jesus, and the rela- 
tionship was of this kind : — James and Judas, sons of Alpheus, were the apostles, 
and consequently Alpheus was the father of Simon and Joses. Farther, Alpheus 
is the same as Cleopas, who married Mary, the sister of the mother of Jesus 
(John xix. 25), and eonsequently the sons of Cleopas were cousins of the 
Saviour. 



INTRODUCTION. 



Which of these opinions is the correct one, it is impossible now -to determine. 
The latter is the common opinion, and perhaps, on the whole, best sustained ; 
and if so, then there were but two Jameses referred to, both apostles, and the 
one who wrote this Epistle was a cousin of the Lord Jesus. Neander, how- 
ever, supposes that there were two Jameses besides James the brother of John, 
the son of Zebedee, and that the one who wrote this Epistle was not the 
apostle, the son of Alpheus, but was, in the stricter sense, the « brother' of our 
Lord, and was trained up with him. Hist, of the Planting of Christianity, ii*, 
i). 3, seq. 

It is a circumstance of some importance, in showing that there was but one 
James besides James the brother of John, and that this was the apostle, the son 
of Alpheus, that after the death of the elder James (Acts xii. 1), no mention is 
made of more than one of that name. If there had been, it is hardly possible, 
says Hug, that there should not have been some allusion to him. This, how- 
ever, is not conclusive ; for there is no mention of Simon, or Bartholomew, or 
Thomas after that time. 

There is but one serious objection, perhaps, to this theory, which is, tfyat it is 
said (John vii. 5) that "his brethren did not believe on him." It is possible, 
however, that the word « brethren' in that place may not have included all his 
kinsmen, but may have had particular reference to the larger portion of them 
(ver. 3), who were not believers, though it might have been that some of them 
were believers. 

On the whole, it seems probable that the James who was the author of this 
Epistle was one of the apostles of that name, the son of Alpheus, and that he 
was a cousin of our Lord. Entire certainty on that point, however, cannot be 
hoped for. 

If the author of this Epistle was a different person from the one who resided 
at Jerusalem, and who is often mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, then no- 
thing more is known of him. That James was evidently an apostle (Gal. i. 19), 
and perhaps, from his relationship to the Lord Jesus, would have a special in- 
fluence and authority there. 

Of this James, little more is certainly known than what is mentioned in the 
Acts of the Apostles. Hegesippus, as quoted by Neander, says, that from child- 
hood he led the life of a Nazarene. He is described by Josephus (Archseol. xx. 
9), as well as by Hegesippus and Eusebius, as a man eminent for his integrity 
of life, and as well meriting the appellation or surname which he bore among 
the Jews, of p v W dtx(uo$, the Just, He is mentioned as one who set himself 
against the corruptions of the age, and who was thence termed the bulwark of 
the people — DJ7 — rttpto^jy iov 7&ov> His manner of life is represented 
as strict and holy, and such as to command in an eminent degree the confidence 
of his countrymen, the Jews. Hegesippus says that he frequently prostrated 
himself on his knees in the Temple, calling on God to forgive the sins of his 
people, praying that the divine judgments on the unbelievers might be averted, 
and that they might be led to repentance and faith, and thus to a participation 
of the kingdom of the glorified Messiah. Neander, as above, p. 10. 

In the New Testament, James appears as a prominent and leading man in the 
church at Jerusalem. In later times he is mentioned by the ecclesiastical writers 
as « Bishop of Jerusalem but this title is not given to him in the New Testa- 
ment, nor is there any reason to suppose that he filled the office which is nov 



X 



INTRODUCTION. 



usually denoted by the wort, bishop. He appears, however, from some causa, 
to have had his home permanently in Jerusalem, and, for a considerable portion 
of his life, to have been the only apostle residing there. As such, as well as 
from his near relationship to the Lord Jesus, and his own personal worth, he 
was entitled to, and received, marked respect. His prominence, and the respect 
which was shown to him at Jerusalem, appear in the following circumstances: 
(1.) In the council that was held respecting the rules that were to be imposed 
on the converts from the Gentiles, and the manner in which they were to be 
regarded and treated (Acts xv.), after the other apostles had fully delivered their 
sentiments, the views of James were expressed, and his counsel was followed. 
Acts xv. 13 — 29. (2.) When Peter was released from prison, in answer to the 
prayers of the assembled church, he directed those whom he first saw to < go and 
show these things to James, and to the brethren.' Acts xii. 17. (3.) When 
Paul visited Jerusalem after his conversion, James is twice mentioned by him as 
occupying a prominent position there. First, Paul says that when he went there 
on the first occasion, he saw none of the apostles but Peter, and < James the 
Lord's brother/ Gal. i. 18, 19. He is here mentioned as one of the apostles, 
and as sustaining a near relation to the Lord Jesus. On the second occasion, 
when Paul went up there fourteen years after, he is mentioned, in enumerating 
those who gave to him the right hand of fellowship, as one of the < pillars' of the 
church ; and among those who recognised him as an apostle, he is mentioned 
first. "And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived 
the grace that was given unto me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand 
of fellowship," Gal. ii. 9. (4.) When Paul went up to Jerusalem after his 
visit to Asia Minor and to Greece, the whole matter pertaining to his visit 
was Said before James, and his counsel was followed by Paul. Acts xxi 
18—24. 

The leading points in the character of James seem to have been these : — 
(1.) Incorruptible integrity; integrity such as to secure the confidence of ali 
men, and to deserve the appellation of « the Just.' (2.) An exalted regard for 
the rites and ceremonies of the ancient religion, and a desire that they should be 
respected everywhere and honoured. He was more slow in coming to the con- 
clusion that they were to be superseded by Christianity than Paul or Peter was 
(comp. Acts xxi. 18. Gal. ii. 12), though he admitted that they were not to be 
imposed on the Gentile converts as absolutely binding. Acts xv. 19 — 21, 24— 
29. Repeated intimations of his great respect for the laws of Moses are found 
in the Epistle before us, thus furnishing an internal proof of its genuineness 
If he was educated as a Nazarene, and if he always resided with the Jews, in 
the very vicinity of the Temple, this is not difficult to be accounted for, and this 
might be expected to tinge his writings. (3.) The point from which he con- 
templated religion particularly was, conformity to the law. He looked at it as 
it was intended, to regulate the life, and to produce holiness of deportment, in 
opposition to all lax views of morals and low conceptions of holiness. He lived 
in a corrupt age, and among corrupt people ; among those who sought to be 
justified before God by the mere fact that they were Jews, that they had the true 
religion, and that they were the chosen people of God, and who, in consequence, 
were lax in their morals, and comparatively regardless of the obligations to per- 
sonal holiness. He therefore contemplated religion, not so much in respect to 
the question how man may be justified, as to the question to what kind of lift 
U will lead us ; and his great object was to show that personal holiness is neces- 



INTRODUCTION. 



xi 



gary to salvation. Paul, on the other hand, was led to contemplate it mainly 
with reference to another question — how man may be justified ; and it became 
necessary for him to show that men cannot be justified by their own works, but 
that it must be by faith in the Redeemer. The error which Paul particularly 
combats, is an error on the subject of justification ; the error which James parti- 
cularly opposes, is a practical error on the influence of religion on the life. Il 
was because religion was contemplated by these two writers from these different 
points of view, and not from any real contradiction, that the apparent discrepancy 
arose between the Epistle of James and the writings of Paul. The peculiarity 
in the character and circumstances of James will account for the views which he 
took of religion ; and, keeping this in mind, it will be easy to show that there is 
no real contradiction between these writers. It was of great importance to guard 
against each of the errors referred to ; and the views expressed by both of the 
apostles are necessary to understand the nature and to see the full developement 
of religion. 

How long James lived, and when and how he died, is not certainly known. 
It is agreed by all that he spent his last days in Jerusalem, and that he probably 
died there. On the subject of his death there is a remarkable passage in Jose- 
phus, which, though its genuineness has been disputed, is worth transcribing, 
as, if genuine, it show's the respect in which James was held, and contains an 
interesting account of his death. It is as follows : — « The emperor [Roman] 
being informed of the death of Festus, sent Albinus to be prefect of Judea. But 
the younger Ananus, who, as we said before, was made high priest, was Haughty 
in his behaviour, and was very ambitious. And, moreover, he was of the sect 
of the Sadducees, who, as we have also observed before, are, above all other Je^e 
severe in their judicial sentences. This, then, being the temper of Ananus, he, 
thinking he had a fit opportunity, because Festus was dead, and Albinus was 
yet on the road, calls a council. And, bringing before them James, the brother 
of him who is called Christ, and some others, he accused them as transgressors 
of the laws, and had them stoned to death. But the most moderate men of the 
city, who were also reckoned most skilful in the laws, were offended at this pro- 
ceeding. They therefore sent privately to the king [Agrippa the younger], en- 
treating him to send orders to Ananus no more to attempt any such things."- — 
Ant., B. xx. A long account of the manner of his death, by Hegesippus, is 
preserved in Eusebius, going much more into detail, and evidently introducing 
much that is fabulous. The amount of all that can now be known in regard to 
his decease would seem to be, that he was put to death by violence in Jerusa- 
lem, a short time before the destruction of the Temple. From the well-known 
character of the Jews, this account is by no means improbable. On the subject 
of his life and death, the reader may find all that is known in Lardner, 
Works, vol. vi. pp. 162 — 195; Bacon's Lives of the Apostles, pp. 411 — 433; 
and Neander, Hist, of the Planting of the Christian Church, ii., pp. 1 — 23, 
Edin. ed. 

The belief that it was this James, the son of Alpheus, who resided so long at 
Jerusalem, who was the author of this Epistle, has been the common, though 
not the unanimous opinion of the Christian church, and seems to be supported 
by satisfactory arguments. It must evidently have been written either by him 
or by James the elder, the son of Zrbedee, or by some other James, the supposed 
literal brother of our Lord. 



Xll 



INTRODUCTION. 



In regard to these opinions, we may observe, 

I. That the supposition that it was written by some third one of that name. 
« wholly unknown to fame/ is mere hypothesis. It has no evidence whatever in 
its support. 

II. There are strong reasons for supposing that it was not written by Jamea 
the elder, the son of Zebedee, and brother of John. It has been indeed ascribed 
to him. In the old Syriac version, in the earlier editions, it is expressly attri- 
buted to him. But against this opinion the following objections may be urged, 
which seem to be conclusive. (1.) James the elder was beheaded about the 
vear 43, or 44, and if this epistle was written by him, it is the oldest of the 
v* ritings of the New Testament. It is possible, indeed, that the epistle may 
have been written at as early a period as that, but the considerations which remain 
to be stated, will show that this epistle has sufficient internal marks to prove 
that it was of later origin. (2.) Before the death of James the elder, the 
preaching of the gospel was chiefly confined within the limits of Palestine ; but 
this epistle was written to Christians < of the dispersion,' that is, to those who 
resided out of Palestine. It is hardly credible that in so short a time after the 
ascension of our Lord, there were so many Christians scattered abroad as to 
make it probable that a letter would be sent to them. (3.) This epistle is oc- 
cupied very much with a consideration of a false and perverted view of the doc- 
trine of justification by faith. It is evident that false views on that subject pre- 
vailed, and that a considerable corruption of morals was the consequence. But 
this supposes that the doctrine of justification by faith had been extensively 
preached ; consequently that considerable time had elapsed from the time when 
the doctrine had been first promulgated. The perversion of a doctrine, so as to 
produce injurious effects, seldom occurs until some time after the doctrine was 
first preached, and it can hardly be supposed that this would have occurred be- 
fore the death of James, the son of Zebedee. See these reasons stated more at 
length in Benson. 

III. There are strong probabilities, from the epistle itself, to show that it was 
written by James the Less. (1.) His position at Jerusalem, and his eminence 
among the apostles, as well as his established character, made it proper that he 
should address such an epistle to those who were scattered abroad. There was 
no one among the apostles who would command greater respect from those 
abroad who were of Jewish origin than James. If he had his residence at Je- 
rusalem ; if he was in any manner regarded as the head of the church there ; if 
he sustained a near relation to the Lord Jesus; and if his character was such 
as has been commonly represented, there was no one among the apostles whose 
opinions would be treated with greater respect, or who would be considered as 
having a clearer right to address those who were scattered abroad. (2.) The 
character of the epistle accords with the well-known character of James the 
Less. His strong regard for the law ; his zeal for incorruptible integrity ; his 
opposition to lax notions of morals ; his opposition to all reliance on faith that 
was not productive of good works, all appear in this epistle. The necessity of 
conformity to the law of God, and of a holy life, is everywhere apparent, and 
the views expressed in the epistle agree with all that is stated of the early edu- 
cation and the established character of James. While there is no real contra 
diction between this epistle and the writings of Paul, yet it is much more easy 
to show that this is a production of James than it would be to prove that it wa* 
written by Paul. Comp* Hug, Intro., § 159. 



INTRODUCTION. 



XII 



§ 2. To whom was the Epistle written ? 

The epistle purports to have been written to « the twelve tribes scattered 
abroad* — or the « twelve tribes of the dispersion' — iv ?fj Sia67iopa- ch. i. 1. 
See Votes on 1 Pet. i. 1, and Notes on ch. i. 1 of this epistle. No mention of 
the y lace where they resided is made; nor can it be determined to what portion 
of the world it was first sent, or whether more than one copy was sent. All 
that can be conclusively determined in regard to the persons to whom it was 
addressed, is, (1.) That they were of Jewish descent — as is implied in the phrase 
« to the twelve tribes' (ch. i. 1), and as is manifest in all the reasonings of the 
epistle; and, (2.) That they were Christian converts, ch. ii. 1. But by whose 
labours they were converted, is wholly unknown. The Jewish people who 
were < scattered abroad' had two central ' points of union, the dispersion in the 
East, of which Babylon was the head, and the dispersion in the West, of which 
Alexandria was the head. Hug, § 156. Peter wrote his epistles to the latter 
(1 Pet. i. 1), though he was at Babylon when he wrote them (1 Pet. v. 13) 8 
and it would seem probable that this epistle was addressed to the former. Beza 
supposed that this epistle was sent to the believing Jews, dispersed all over the 
world ; Grotius, that it was written to all the Jews living out of Judea ; Lard- 
uer, that it was written to all Jews, descendants of Jacob, of every denomina- 
tion, in Judea, and out of it. It seems plain, however, from the epistle itself, 
ihat it was not addressed to the Jews as such, or without respect to their being 
already Christians, for (a) if it had been, it is hardly conceivable that there 
should have been no arguments to prove that Jesus was the Messiah, and no 
extended statements of the nature of the Christian system ; and (6) it bears on 
the face of it evidence of having been addressed to those who were regarded as 
Christians, ch. ii. 1 ; v. 7, 11, 14. It may be difficult to account for the fact, 
on any principles, that there are no more definite allusions to the nature of the 
Christian doctrines in the epistle, but it is morally certain that if it had been 
written to Jews as such, by a Christian apostle, there would have been a more 
formal defence and statement of the Christian religion. Compare the arguments 
of the apostles with the Jews in the Acts, passim. I regard the epistle, there- 
fore, as having been sent to those who were of Jewish origin, but who had em- 
braced the Christian faith, by one who had been himself a Jew, and who, though 
now a Christian apostle, retained much of his early habits of thinking and rea- 
soning in addressing his own countrymen. 

§ 3. Where and when was the Epistle written ? 

There are no certain indications by which it can be determined where this 
epistle was written, but if the considerations above suggested are well founded, 
there can be little doubt that it was at Jerusalem. There are indeed certain in. 
ternal marks, as Hug has observed (Intro. § 155), pertaining to the country 
with which the writer was familiar, and to certain features of natural scenery 
incidentally alluded to in the epistle. Thus, his native land was situated not 
far from the sea (ch. i. 6 ; iii. 4) ; it was blessed with valuable productions, as 
figs, oil, and wine (ch. iii.- 12) ; there were springs of saline and fresh water 
with which he was familiar (ch. iii. 11) : the land was much exposed to 
di ought, and there were frequently reasons to apprehend famine from the want 
of rain (ch. v. 17, 28) ; there were sad devastations produced, and to be dreaded 
2 



XIV 



INTRODUCTION. 



from a consuming, buining wind (ch. i. 11) ; and it was a land in which th* 
phenomena known as < early and latter rains' were familiarly understood, ch. 
v. 7. All these allusions apply well to Palestine, and were such as would be 
employed by one who resided in that country, and they may be regarded as an 
incidental proof that the epistle was written in that land. 

There is no way of determining with certainty when the epistle was written. 
Hug supposes that it was after the epistle to the Hebrews, and not before the 
beginning of the tenth year of Nero, nor after the accession of Albinus ; i. c. 
the close of the same year. Mill and Fabricius suppose it was before the de- 
struction of Jerusalem, and about a year and a half before the death of James. 
Lardner supposes that James was put to death about the year 62, and that this 
epistle was written about a year before. He supposes also that his death was 
hastened by the strong language of reprehension employed in the epistle. It is 
probable that the year in which it was written was not far from A. D. 58 or 60, 
some ten or twelve years before the destruction of Jerusalem. 

§ 4. The canonical Authority of the Epistle. 

On the question generally respecting the canonical authority of the disputed 
epistles, see the Intro, to the Catholic Epistles, § 2. The particular proof of the 
canonical authority of this epistle is contained in the evidence that it was writ- 
ten by one of the apostles. If it was written, as suggested above (§ 1), by 
James the Less, or if it be supposed that it was written by James the elder, 
both of whom were apostles, its canonical authority will be admitted. As there 
is no evidence that it was written by any other James, the point seems to be 
clear. 

But there are additional considerations, derived from its reception in the 
church, which may furnish some degree of confirmation of its authority. These 
are, (a) It was included in the old Syriac version, the Peshita, made either in 
the first century or in the early part of the second, thus showing that it was 
recognised in the country to which it was probably sent; (b) Ephrem the Sy 
rian, in his Greek works, made use of it in many places, and attributed it to 
James, the brother of our Lord (Hug) ; (c) It is quoted as of authority by seve- 
ral of the Fathers; by Clement of Kome, who does not indeed mention the 
name of the writer, but quotes the words of the epistle (James iii. 13 ; iv. 6, 11 3 
ii. 21, 23) ; by Hermas ; and by Jerome. See Lardner, vol. vi. pp. 195 — 199, 
and Hug, § 161. 

§ 5. The evidence that the writer was acquainted with the writings of Paul, 
the alleged contradiction between them ; and the question how they can be 
reconciled. 

It has been frequently supposed, and sometimes affirmed, that this epistle is 
directly contradictory to Paul on the great doctrine of justification, and that it 
was written to counteract the tendency of his writings on that subject. Thus 
Hug strangely says, "In this epistle, Paul is (if I may be allowed to use so 
harsh an expression for a while) contradicted so flatly, that it would seem to 
have been written in opposition to some of his doctrines and opinions." § 157 
It is of importance, therefore, to inquire into the foundation of this charge, for 
if it be so, it is cleaj that either this epistle or those of Paul would not be enti- 



INTRODUCTION. 



tied to a place in the sacred canon. In order to this investigation, it is neces- 
sary to inquire to what extent the author was acquainted with the writings of 
Paul, and then to ask whether the statements of James are susceptible of any 
explanation which will reconcile them with those of Paul. 

(1.) There is undoubted evidence that the author was acquainted with the 
writings of Paul. This evidence is found in the similarity of the expressions 
occurring in the epistles of Paul and James; a similarity such as would occur 
not merely from the fact that two men were writing on the same subject, but such 
as occurs only where one is acquainted with the writings of the other. Between 
two persons writing on the same subject, and resting their opinions on the same 
general reasons, there might be indeed a general resemblance, and possibly there 
might be expressions used which would be precisely the same. But it might 
happen that the resemblance would be so minute and particular, and on points 
where there could be naturally no such similarity, as to demonstrate that one of 
the writers was familiar with the productions of the other. For example, a man 
writing on a religious subject, if he had never heard of the Bible, might use 
expressions coincident with some that are found there ; but it is clear also that 
he might in so many cases use the same expressions which occur there, and on 
points where the statements in the Bible are so peculiar, as to show conclusively 
that he was familiar with that book. So also a man might show that he was 
familiar with the Rambler or the Spectator, with Shakspeare or Milton. Such, 
it is supposed, are the allusions in "the epistle of James, showing that he 
acquainted with the writings of Paul. Among these passages are the fol- 
lowing : — 



i, 3. Knowing this, that the trying 
of your faith worketh patience. 

i. 2. Count it all joy when ye fall 
into divers temptations. 

i. 4. Wanting nothing, 

i. 6. He that wavereth is like a wave 
of the sea, driven with the wind and 
tossed. 

i. 12. When he is tried, he shall re- 
ceive the cr6wn of life. 

l. 15. When lust hath conceived, it 
bringeth forth sin ; and sin, when it is 
finished, bringeth forth death. 



i. 18. That we should be a kind of 
first-fruits of his creatures. 

i. 21. Lay apart all filthiness and 
superfluity of naughtiness, &c. 



i. 22. But be ye doers of the word, 
and not hearers only, &c. 



Rom. v. 3. Knowing that tribulation 
worketh patience. 

Rom. v. 3. We glory in tribulations 
also. 

1 Cor. i. 7. Ye come behind in no 
gift. 

Eph. iv. 14. Tossed to and fro, car- 
ried about with every wind of doctrine. 

2 Tim. iv. 8. There is laid up for 
me a crown of righteousness. 

Rom. vii. 7, 8. I had not known lust, 
except the law had said thou shalt not 
covet. But sin, taking occasion by the 
commandment, wrought in me all man- 
ner of concupiscence. 

Rom. viii. 23. Ourselves also which 
have the first-fruits of the Spirit. 

Col. iv. 8. But now ye also put off 
all these; anger, wrath, malice, blas- 
phemy, filthy communications out of 
your mouth. 

Rom. ii. 13. For not the hearers of 
the law are just before God, but th« 
doers of the law. 



INTRODUCTION. 



ii. 5. Hath not God chosen the poor 1 Cor. i. 27. But God hath cooseis 
of this world, rich in faith, &c. the foolish things of the world, to con 

found the wise, &c. 

Compare also, on this subject, the passage in James v. 14 — 26, with Romans 
iii. 20, seq.; the examples of Abraham and Rahab, referred to in ch, ii. 21, 25, 
with the reference to Abraham in Rom. iv.; and James iv. 12, with Rom. ii. 1, 
and xiv. 4. 

These passages will show that James had an acquaintance with the writings 
of Paul, and that he was familiar with his usual method of expressing his 
thoughts. These allusions are not such as two men would be likely to make 
who were total strangers to each other's mode of speaking and of writing. 

It may be added here, also, that some critics have supposed that there is an 
other kind of evidence that James was acquainted with the writings of Paul, 
than that which arises from mere similarity of expression, and that he meant to 
refer to him, with a view to correct the influence of some of his views. Thus, 
Hug, in the passage already referred to (§ 157), says, "In this Epistle, the 
apostle Paul is (if I may be allowed to use so harsh an expression for a while) 
contradicted so flatly, that it would seem to have been written in opposition to 
some of his doctrines and opinions. All that Paul has taught respecting faith, 
its efficacy in justification, and the inutility of works, is here directly contra- 
vened." After citing examples from the Epistle to the Romans, and the Epistle of 
James, in support of this, Hug adds, " The Epistle was therefore written of set 
purpose against Paul, against the doctrine that faith procures man justification 
and the divine favour." The contradiction between James and Paul appeared so 
palpable to Luther, and the difficulty of reconciling them seemed to him to be so 
great, that for a long time he rejected the Epistle of James altogether. He sub- 
sequently, however, became satisfied that it was a part of the inspired canon oi 
Scripture. 

(2.) It has been, therefore, an object of much solicitude to know how the 
views of Paul and James, apparently so contradictory, can be reconciled ; and 
many attempts have been made to do it. Those who wish to pursue this inquiry 
to greater length than is consistent with the design of these Notes, may consult 
Neander's History of the Planting of the Christian Church, vol. ii., pp. 1 — 23, 
228 — 239, and Dr. Dwight's Theology, Serm. Ixviii. The particular considera- 
tion of this pertains more appropriately to the exposition of the Epistle (see the 
remarks at the close of ch. iii.) ; but a few general principles may be laid down 
here, which may aid those who are disposed to make the comparison between the 
two, and which may show that there is no designed, and no real contradiction. 

(a) The view which is taken of any object depends much on the point of vision 
from which it is beheld — the stand-point, as the Germans say ; and in order to 
estimate the truthfulness or value of a description or a picture, it is necessary for us 
to place ourselves in the same position with him who has given the description, or 
who has made the picture. Two men, painting or describing a mountain, a valley, 
a waterfall, or an edifice, might take such different positions in regard to it, that 
the descriptions which they give would seem to be quite contradictory and irre- 
concilable, unless this were taken into the account. A landscape, sketched from 
the top of a high tower or on a level plain ; a view of Niagara Falls, taken above 
or below the falls — on the American or Canada side ; a view of St. Paul's, taken 
from one side or another, from the dome or when on the ground, might be very 



INTRODUCTION. 



XT11 



different; and two such views might present features which it would be scarcely 
possible to reconcile with each other. So it is of moral subjects. Much depends 
on the point from which they are viewed, and from the bearings and tendencies 
of the doctrine which is the particular subject of contemplation. The subject of 
temperance, for example, may be contemplated with reference, on the one hand, 
to the dangers arising from too lax a view of the matter, or, on the other, to the 
danger of pressing the principle too far ; and in order to know a man's views, 
and not to do injustice to him, it is proper to understand the particular aspect in 
which he looked at it, and the particular object which he had in view. 

(b) The object of Paul — the « stand-point' from which he viewed the subject 
of justification—on which point alone it has been supposed that he and James 
differ — was to show that there is no justification before God, except by faith ; 
that the meritorious cause of justification is the atonement; that good works do 
not enter into the question of justification as a matter of merit, or as the ground 
of acceptance ; that if it were not for faith in Christ, it would not be possible for 
man to be justified. The point which he opposes is, that men can be justified 
by good works, by conformity to the law, by dependence on rites and ceremonies, 
by birth or blood. The aim of Paul is not to demonstrate that good works are 
not necessary or desirable in religion, but that they are not the ground of justi- 
fication. The point of view in which he contemplates man, is before he is con- 
verted, and with reference to the question on what ground he can be justified ; 
and he affirms that it is only by faith, and that good works come in for no share 
in justification, as a ground of merit. 

(c) The object of James — the « stand-point' from which he viewed the subject 
— was, to show that a man cannot have evidence that he is justified, or that his 
faith is genuine, unless he is characterized by good works, or by holy living. 
His aim is to show, not that faith is not essential to justification, and not that 
the real ground of dependence is not the merit of the Saviour, but that conform' 
ity to the law of God is indispensable to true religion. The point of view in 
which he contemplates the subject, is after a man professes to be justified, and 
with reference to the question whether his faith is genuine; and he affirms that 
no faith is of value in justification but that which is productive of good works. 
By his own character, by education, by the habits of his whole life, he was ac- 
customed to look on religion as obedience to the will of God ; and every thing in 
his character led him to oppose all that was lax in principle, and loose in tend- 
ency, in religion. The point which he opposed, therefore, was, that mere faith in 
religion, as a revelation from God ; a mere assent to certain doctrines, without a 
corresponding life, could be a ground of justification before God. This was the 
prevalent error of his countrymen ; and while the Jews held to the belief of 
divine revelation as a matter of speculative faith, the most lax views of morals 
prevailed, and they freely indulged in practices entirely inconsistent with true 
piety, and subversive of all proper views of religion. It was not improper, there- 
fore, as Paul had given prominence to one aspect of the doctrine of justifi- 
cation, showing that a man could not be saved by dependence on the works of 
the law, but that it must be by the work of Christ, that James should give due 
prominence to the other form of the doctrine, by showing that the essential and 
necessary tendency of the true doctrine of justification, was to lead to a holy 
life ; and that a man whose life was not conformed to the law of God, could not 
depend on any mere assent to the truth of religion, or any speculative faith what* 
ever. Both these statements are necessary to a full exposition of the doctrine 

2* 



xviii 



INTRODUCTION. 



of justification ; both are opposed to dangerous errors ; and both, therefore, are 
essential in order to a full understanding of that important subject. 

(d) Both these statements are true. (1.) That of Paul is true, that there can 
be no justification before God on the ground of our own works, but that the real 
ground of justification is faith in the great sacrifice made for sin. (2.) That of 
James is no less true, that there can be no genuine faith which is not productive 
of good works, and that good works furnish the evidence that we have true 
religion, and are just before God. A mere faith ; a naked assent to dogmas, - 
accompanied with lax views of morals, can furnish no evidence of true piety. 
It is as true, that where there is not a holy life there is no religion, as it is in 
cases where there is no faith. 

It may be added, therefore, that the Epistle of James occupies an important 
place in the New Testament, and that it could not be withdrawn without mate- 
rially marring the proportions of the scheme of religion which is there revealed. 
Instead, therefore, of being regarded as contradictory to any part of the New 
Testament, it should rather be deemed indispensable to the concinnity and 
beauty of the whole. 

Keeping in view, therefore, the general design of the Epistle, and the point 
of view from which James contemplated the subject of religion; the general cor- 
ruptions of the age in which he lived, in regard to morals ; the tendency of the 
jews to suppose that mere assent to the truths of religion was enough to save 
them; the liability which there was to abuse the doctrine of Paul on the subject 
of justification, — it will not be difficult to understand the general drift of this 
Epistle, or to appreciate its value. A summary of its contents, and a more par- 
ticular view of its design, will be found in the Analyses prefixed to the severs! 
chapters. 



THE GENERAL 

EPISTLE OE JAMES. 



CHAPTER I. 

J ^ AMES, a servant" of God and 
of the Lord Jesus Christ, to 



CHAPTER I. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER, 

This chapter seems to comprise two 
general classes of subjects ; the state- 
ment in regard to the first of which is 
9 complete, but the second is only com- 
menced in this chapter, and is conti- 
nued in the second. The first is the 
general subject of temptation and trial 
(vs. 1 — 15); the second is the nature 
of true religion : — the statement that 
all true religion has its origin in God, 
the source of purity and truth, and 
that it requires us to be docile and 
meek; to be doers of the word ; to 
bridle the tongue, and to be the friends 
of the fatherless and the widow, vs. 
16—27. 

1. The general subject of temptation 
or uial. vs. 1 — 15. It is evident that 
those to whom the epistle was directed 
were, at that time, suffering in some 
form, or that they were called to pass 
through temptations, and that they 
needed counsel and support. They 
were in danger of sinking in despond- 
ency ; of murmuring and complaining, 
and of charging God as the author of 
temptation and of sin. This part of 
the chapter comprises the following 
topics : 

1. The- salutation, ver. 1. 

2. The subject of temptations or 
trials. They were to regard it, not as 
a subject of sorrow, but of gladness 
and joy, that they were called to pass 
tkr ough trials ; for, if borne in a proper 



the twelve b tribes which are scat 
tered c abroad, greeting. 

a Jade 1. b Ac. 26. 7. c Ac. 8. 1. 

manner, they would produce the grace 
of patience, and this was to be regarded 
as an object worth being secured, even 
by much suffering, vs. 2 — 4. 

3. If in their trials they felt that 
they had lacked the wisdom which 
they needed to enable them to bear 
them in a proper manner, they had the 
privilege of looking to God, and seek- 
ing it at his hand. This was a privi- 
lege conceded to all, and if it were 
asked in faith, without any wavering, 
it would certainly be granted, vs. 5 
—7. 

4. The importance and value of sta- 
bility, especially in trials ; of being firm 
in principle, and of having one single 
great aim in life. A man who wavered 
in his faith would waver in every thing, 
ver. 8. 

5. An encouragement to those who, 
in the trials which they experienced, 
passed through rapid changes of cir 
cumstances. Whatever those changes 
were, they were to rejoice in them as 
ordered by the Lord. They were to 
remember the essential instability of all 
earthly things. The rich especially, 
who were most disposed to murmur 
and complain when their circumstances 
were changed, were to remember how 
the burning heat blasts the beauty of 
the flower, and that in like manner all 
worldly splendour must fade away. vs. 
9—11. 

6. Every man is blessed who en- 
dures trials in * proper manner, for 
such an en^uranse of trial will be con- 

(19) 



20 



JAMES. 



[A. D 60. 



nected with a rich reward — the crown 
of life. ver. 12. 

7. In their trials, however; in the 
allurements to sin which might be set 
before them ; in the temptations to 
apostatize, or to do any thing wrong, 
which might be connected with their 
suffering condition, they were to be 
careful never to charge temptation as 
such on God. They were never to 
allow their minds to feel for a moment 
that he allured them to sin, or placed 
an inducement of any kind before them 
to do wrong. Every thing of that 
kind, every disposition to commit sin, 
originated in their own hearts, and 
they should never allow themselves to 
charge it on God. vs. 13 — 15. 

II. The nature of true religion, vs. 
16—27. 

1. It has its origin in God, the 
source of every good gift, the Father 
of lights, who has of his own will be- 
gotten us again, that he might raise us 
to an exalted rank among his creatures. 
God, therefore, should be regarded not 
as the author of sin, but as the source 
of all the good that is in us. vs. 16 — 18. 

2. Religion requires us to be meek 
and docile ; to lay aside all disposition 
to dictate or prescribe, all irritability 
against the truth, and all corruption 
of heart, and to receive meekly the 
ingrafted word. vs. 19 — 21. 

3. Religion requires us to be doers 
of the word, and not hearers only. vs. 
23, 24, 25. 

4. Religion requires us to bridle the 
tongue, to set a special guard on our 
words, ver. 26. 

5. Religion requires us to be the 
friends of the fatherless and the widow, 
and to keep ourselves unspotted from 
the world, ver. 27. 

1. James, a servant of God. On 
the meaning of the word servant in 
this connexion, see Note on Rom. i. 1. 
Comp. Note on Philem. 16. It is re- 
markable that James does not call him- 
self an apostle ; but this does not prove 
that the writer of the epistle was not 



an apostle, for the same omission oc- 
curs in the epistle of John, and in the 
epistle of Paul to the Philippians, the 
Thessalonians, and to Philemon. It is 
remarkable, also, considering the rela* 
tion which James is supposed to have 
borne to the Lord Jesus as his < brother' 
(Gal. i. 19; Intro. § 1), that he did 
not refer to that as constituting a 
ground of claim to his right to address 
others ; but this is only one instance 
out of many, in the New Testament, 
in which it is regarded as a higher 
honour to be the 1 servant of God,' and 
to belong to his family, than to sustain 
any relations of blood or kindred. 
Comp. Matth. xii. 50. It may be ob- 
served also (Comp. the Intro. § 1), that 
this term is one which was peculiarly 
appropriate to James, as a man eminent 
for his integrity. His claim to respect 
and deference was not primarily founded 
on any relationship which he sus- 
tained ; any honour of birth or blood ; 
or even any external office, but on the 
fact that he was a « servant of God. 9 
\And of the Lord Jesus Christ. The 
< servant of the Lord Jesus,' is an ap- 
pellation which is often given to Chris- 
tians, and particularly to the ministers 
of religion. They are his servants, 
not in the sense that they are slaves, 
but in the sense that they voluntarily 
obey his will, and labour for him, and 
not for themselves, ^ To the twelve 
tribes which are scattered abroad. Gr. 
4 The twelve tribes which are in the 
dispersion 9 or of the dispersion (bp ?y 
Siactrtopa). This word occurs only 
here and in 1 Pet. i. 1, and John vii. 
35. It refers properly to those who 
lived out of Palestine, or who were 
scattered among the Gentiles. There 
were two great < dispersions ;' the East- 
ern and the Western. The first had 
its origin about the time when the ten 
tribes were carried away to Assyria, 
and in the time of the Babylonian 
captivity. In consequence of these 
events, and of the fact that large num- 
bers of the Jews went to Babylon, and 



\. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER I. 



2. My brethren, count it all 

a Mat. 5. 12. 1 Pet. 4. 13— 1G. 



other Eastern countries, for purposes of 
travel, commerce, &c, there were many 
Jews in the East in the times of the 
apostles. The other was the Western 
' dispersion,' which commenced about 
the time of Alexander the Great, and 
which was promoted by various causes, 
until there were large numbers of Jews 
in Egypt and along Northern Africa, 
in Asia Minor, in Greece proper, and 
even in Rome. To which of these 
classes this epistle was directed is not 
known ; but most probably the writer 
had particular reference to those in the 
East. See the Intro. § 2. The phrase 
4 the twelve tribes/ was the common 
term by which the Jewish people were 
designated, and was in use long after 
the ten tribes were carried away, leaving, 
in fact, but two of the twelve in Pales- 
tine. Comp. Nstes on Acts xxvi. 7. 
Many have supposed that James here 
addressed them as Jews, and that the 
epistle was sent to them as such. But 
this opinion has no probability; for (1) 
had this been the case, he would not 
have been likely to begin his epistle 
by saying that he was i a servant of 
Jesus Christ,' a name so odious to the 
Jews ; and (2) if he had spoken of 
himself as a Christian, and had ad- 
dressed his countrymen as himself a 
believer in Jesus as the Messiah, though 
regarding them as Jews, it is incredible 
that he did not make a more distinct 
reference to the principles of the Chris- 
tian religion; that he used no argu- 
ments to convince them that Jesus was 
the Messiah ; that he did not attempt 
to convert them to the Christian faith. 
It should be added, that at first most 
converts were made from those who 
had been trained in the Jewish faith, 
and it is not improbable that one in 
Jerusalem, addressing those who were 
Christians out of Palestine, would na- 
turally think of them as of Jewish 
origin, and would be likely to f ddress 



joy a when ye 
temptations ; 



fall 



m 

into divers 



them as appertaining to the « twelve 
tribes.' The phrase < the twelve tribes 1 
became also a sort of technical expres- 
sion to denote the people of God — the 
church. ^Greeting. A customary form 
of salutation, meaning, in Greek, to 
joy, to rejoice ; and implying that he- 
wished their welfare. Comp. Acts xv 
23. 

2. My brethren. Not brethren as 
Jews, but as Christians. Comp. ch. 
ii. 1 - % Count it all joy. Regard it 
as a thing to rejoice in ; a matter 
which should afford you happiness. 
You are not to consider it as a punish- 
ment, a curse, or a calamity, but as a 
fit subject of felicitation. Comp. Notes 
Matth. v. I2t % When ye fall into 
divers temptations. On the meaning 
of the word temptations, see Notes, on 
Matth. iv. 1. It is now commonly 
used in the sense of placing allure- 
ments before others to induce them to 
sin, and in this sense the word seems 
to be used in vs. 13, 14 of this chapter. 
Here, however, the word is used in the 
sense of trials, to wit, by persecution, 
poverty, calamity of any kind. These 
cannot be said to be direct inducements 
or allurements to sin, but they try the 
faith, and they show whether he who 
is tried is disposed to adhere to his 
faith in God, or whether he will apos- 
tatize. They so far coincide with 
temptations, properly so called, as to 
test the religion of men. They differ 
from temptations, properly so called, in 
that they are not brought before the 
mind for the express purpose of in 
ducing men to sin. In this sense it is 
true that God never tempts men. vs 
13, 14. On the sentiment in the pas- 
sage before us, see Notes on 1 Peter, i. 
6, 7. The word divers here refers to 
the various kinds of trials which they 
might experience — sickness, poverty, 
bereavement, persecution, &c. They 
were to count it a matter of joy thai 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 6U 



3. Knowing this, that the try- 
ing of your faith worketh a pa- 
tience. 

4 But let patience h have her 

a Ro. 5. 3. 



their religion was subjected to any 
thing that tried it. It is well for us to 
have the reality of our religion tested, 
in whatever way it may be done. 

3. Knowing this, that the trying of 
your faith worketh patience. Patience 
is one of the fruits of such a trial, and 
the grace of patience is worth the trial 
which it may cost to procure it. This 
is one of the passages which show that 
James was acquainted with the writings 
of Paul. See the Intro. § 5. The sen- 
timent expressed here is found in Rom. 
v. 3. See Notes on that verse. Paul 
has carried the sentiment out farther, 
and shows that tribulation produces 
other effects than patience. James 
only asks that patience may have its 
perfect work, supposing that every 
Christian grace is implied in this. 

4. But let patience have her perfect 
work. Let it be fairly developed ; let 
it produce its appropriate effects with- 
out being hindered. Let it not be ob- 
structed in its fair influence on the 
soul by murmurings, complaining or 
rooellion. Patience under trials is fit- 
ted to produce important effects on the 
soul, and we are not to hinder them in 
any manner by a perverse spirit, or by 
opposition to the will of God. Every 
one who is afflicted should desire that 
the fair effects of affliction should be 
produced on his mind, or that there 
should be produced in his soul pre- 
cisely the results which his trials are 
adapted to accomplish. ' t That ye 
may be perfect and entire, • The 
meaning of this is explained in the 
following phrase — 1 wanting nothing 
that is, that there may be nothing 
lacking to complete your character. 
There may be the elements of a good 
character ; there may be sound princi- 
ples, but those principles may not be 



perfect work, that ye may b6 
perfect and entire, wanting no- 
thing. 

5 If any of you lack wisdom, 

b Lu. 8. 15 ; 21. 19. 



fully carried out so as to show what 
they are. Afflictions, perhaps more 
than any thing else, will do this, and 
we should therefore allow them to do 
all that they are adapted to do in de- 
veloping what is good in us. The 
idea here is, that it is desirable not only 
to have the elements or principles of 
piety in the soul, but to have them 
fairly carried out, so as to show what 
is their real tendency and value. Comp, 
Notes on 1 Pet. i. 7. On the word 
perfect, as used in the Scripture, see 
Notes on Job i. 1. The word ren- 
dered entire (oTtoxtoypot) means whole 
in every part, Comp. Notes on 1 
Thess. v. 23. The word occurs only 
in these two places. The correspond- 
ing noun (ohoxtypla) occurs in Acts 
iii. 15, rendered perfect soundness, 
1 Wanting nothing, < Being left in 
nothing that is, every thing being 
complete, or fully carried out. 

5. If any of you lack wisdom. 
Probably this refers particularly to the 
kind of wisdom which they would need 
in their trials, to enable them to beai 
them in a proper manner, for there is 
nothing in which Christians more feel 
the need of heavenly wisdom than in 
regard to the manner in which thev 
should bear trials, and what they 
should do in the perplexities, and dis- 
appointments, and bereavements thai 
come upon them ; but the language 
employed is so general that what is 
here- said may be applied to the need 
of wisdom in all respects. The parti- 
cular kind of wisdom which we need 
in trials is to enable us to understand 
their design and tendency ; to perform 
our duty under them, or the new du- 
ties which may grow out of them ; to 
learn the lessons which Ged designs 
to teach, for he always designs to teach 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER 1. 



let him ask of God, that a giveth 
to all men liberally, and upbraid- 

a Pr. 2. 3-6. 



us some valuable lessons by affliction ; 
and to cultivate such views and feel- 
ings as are appropriate under the pe- 
culiar forms of trial which are brought 
upon us ; to find out the sins for which 
we have been afflicted, and to learn 
how we may avoid them in time to 
come. We are in great danger of 
going wrong when we are afflicted ; 
of complaining and murmuring; of 
evincing a spirit of insubmission, and 
of losing the benefits which we might 
have obtained if we had submitted to 
the trial in a proper manner. So in 
all things we « lack wisdom.' We are 
short-sighted ; we have hearts prone to 
sin; and there are great and important 
matters pertaining to duty and salva- 
tion on which we cannot but feel that 
we need heavenly guidance. ^ Let 
him ask of God. That is, for the spe- 
cific wisdom which he needs ; the very 
wisdom which is necessary for him in 
the particular case. It is proper to 
bear the very case before God ; to make 
mention of the specific want; to ask 
of God to guide us in the very matter 
where we feel so much embarrassment. 
It is one of the privileges of Christians, 
that they may not only go to God and 
ask him for that general wisdom which 
is needful for them in life, but that 
whenever a particular emergency arises, 
a case of perplexity and difficulty in 
regard to duty, they may bring that 
particular thing before his throne with 
tha assurance that he will guide them. 
Comp. Ps. xxv. 9. Isa. xxxvii. 14. 
Joel ii. 17. 1 That giveth to all men 
liberally. The word men here is sup- 
plied by the translators, but not impro- 
perly, though the promise should be 
regarded as restricted to those who ask. 
The object of the writer was to encou- 
rage those who felt4heir need of wis- 
dom to go and ask it of God, and it 
would not contribute any thing to fur- 



eth not 
him. 



23 

and b it shall be given 



b Je. 29. 12. 



nish such a specific encouragement to 
say of God that he gives to all men 
liberally whether they ask or not. In 
the Scripture the promise of divine aid 
is always limited to the desire. No 
blessing is promised to man that is not 
sought; no man can feel that he has a 
right to hope for the favour of God who 
does not value it enough to pray for it ; 
no one ought to obtain it who does not 
prize it enough to ask for it. Comp, 
Matt. vii. 7, 8. The word rendered 
liberally (a7t%to$) means, properly, sim- 
ply ; that is, in simplicity, sincerity, 
reality. It occurs nowhere else in the 
New Testament, though the corre- 
sponding noun occurs in Rom. xii. 8 
2 Cor. i. 12; xi. 3, rendered simpli 
city; in 2 Cor. viii. 2; ix. 13, ren- 
dered liberality, and liberal; 2 Cor. 
ix. 11, rendered bountifulness ; and 
Eph. vi. 5. Col. iii. 22, rendered sin- 
gleness, scil., of the heart. The idea 
seems to be that of openness, frankness, 
generosity ; the absence of all that is 
sordid and contracted ; where there is 
the manifestation of generous feeling, 
and liberal conduct. In a higher sense 
than in the case of any man, all that 
is excellent in these things is to be 
found in God ; and we may therefore 
come to him feeling that in his heart 
there is more that is noble and gene- 
rous in bestowing favours than in any 
other being. There is nothing that is 
stinted and close ; there is no partiality , 
there is no withholding of his favour 
because we are poor, and unlettered, 
and unknown. Tf And upbraideth not. 
Does not reproach, rebuke, or treat 
harshly. He does not coldly repel us, 
if we come and ask what we need, 
though we do it often and with impor- 
tunity. Comp. Luke xviii. 1 — 7. The 
proper meaning of the Greek word is 
to rail at, reproach, revile, chide ; and 
the object here is probably to place the 



24 JAMES. 
6 But a let him ask in faith, 

a Mar. 11. 24. 



manner in which God bestows his fa- 
vours in contrast with what sometimes 
occurs among men. He does not re- 
proach or chide us for our past con- 
duct ; for our foolishness ; for our im- 
portunity in asking. He permits us 
lo come in the most free manner, and 
meets us with a spirit of entire kind- 
ness, and with promptness in granting 
our requests. We are not always sure, 
when we ask a favour of a man, that 
we shall not encounter something that 
will be repulsive, or that will mortify 
us; we are certain, however, when we 
ask a favour of God, that we shall 
never be reproached in an unfeeling 
manner, or meet with a harsh response, 
f And it shall he given him, Comp. 
Jer. xxix. 12, 13. "Then shall ye 
call upon me, and go and pray unto 
me, and I will hearken unto you. And 
ye shall seek me, and find me, when 
ye shall search for me with your whole 
heart." See also Matt. vii. 7, 8 ; xxi. 
22. Mark xi. 24. 1 John iii. 22 ; v. 
14. This promise in regard to the 
wisdom that may be necessary for us, 
is absolute, and we may be sure that 
if it be asked in a proper manner it 
will be granted us. There can be no 
doubt that it is one of the things which 
God is able to impart; which will be 
for our own good ; and which, there- 
fore, he is ever ready to bestow. About 
many things there might be doubt 
whether if they were granted, they 
would be for our real welfare, and 
therefore there may be a doubt whether 
it would be consistent for God to be- 
stow them; but there can be no such 
doubt about wisdom. That is always 
for our good, and we may be sure, 
therefore, that we shall obtain that, if 
the request be made with a right spirit. 
If it be asked in what way we may ex- 
pert he will bestow it on us, it may be 
replied, (1.) That it is through his 
word — by enabling us to see clearly 



[A. D. 60 

nothing wavering. For he that 
wavereth, is like a wave of the 



the meaning of the sacred volume, and 
to understand the directions which he 
has there given to guide us ; (2.) By 
the secret influences of his Spirit (a) 
suggesting to us the way in which we 
should go, and (&) inclining us to do 
that which is prudent and wise ; and 
(3.) By the events of his Providence 
making plain to us the path of duty, 
and removing the obstructions which 
may be in our path. It is easy for 
God to guide his people ; and they 
who « watch daily at the gates, and 
wait at the posts of the doors' of wis- 
dom (Prov. viii. 34), will not be in 
danger of going astray. Ps. xxv. 9. 

6. But let him ask in faith. See 
the passages referred to in ver. 5 
Comp. Notes on Matt. vii. 7, and on 
Heb. xi. 6. We cannot hope to ob- 
tain any favour from God if there is 
not faith, and where, as in regard to 
the wisdom necessary to guide us, we 
are sure that it is in accordance with 
his will to grant it to us, we maj 
come to him with the utmost conn* 
dence, the most entire assurance tha 
it will be granted. In this case, we 
should come to God without a doubt 
that if we ask with a proper spirit, the 
very thing that we ask will be bestowed 
on us. We cannot in all other cases 
be so sure that what we ask will be foi 
our good, or that it will be in accord- 
ance with his will to bestow it, and 
hence we cannot in such cases come 
with the same kind of faith. We can 
then only come with unwavering con- 
fidence in God that he will do what is 
right and best, and that if he sees that 
what we ask will be for our good, he 
will bestow it upon us. Here, how- 
ever, nothing prevents our coming with 
the assurance that the very thing which 
we ask will be conferred on us. f No- 
thing wavering, (fxyfth §iaxpw6[A,svo$) 
4 Doubting or hesitating as to nothing, 
or in no respect/ See Acts xx. 20 • 



\. D. 60.] CHAPTER L 

sea driven with the wind and 
tossed. 

7 For let not that man think 
that he shall receive any thing 
of the Lord. 



25 



8 A double-minded man is 
unstable in all his ways. 

9 Let the brother of low de- 
gree 1 rejoice in that he is exalted. 

1 or, glory. 



xi. 12. In regard to the matter under 
consideration, there is to be no hesi- 
tancy, no doubting, no vacillation of 
the mind. We are to come to God 
with the utmost confidence and assur- 
ance. Tf For he that wavereth, is like 
a wave of the sea, &c. The propriety 
and beauty of this comparison will be 
seen at once. The wave of the sea 
has no stability. It is at the mercy of 
every wind, and seems to be driven 
and tossed every way. So he that 
comes to God with unsettled convic- 
tions and hopes, is liable to be driven 
about by every new feeling that may 
spring up in the mind. At one mo- 
ment hope and faith impel him to come 
to God ; then the mind is at once filled 
with uncertainty and doubt, and the 
soul is agitated and restless as the 
ocean. Comp. Isa. lvii. 20. Hope on 
• the one hand, and the fear of not ob- 
taining the favour which is desired on 
the other, keep the mind restless and 
discomposed. 

7. For let not that man think that 
he shall obtain any thing from the 
Lord, Comp. Heb. xi. 6. A man can 
hope for favour from God only as he 
puts confidence in him. He sees the 
heart, and if he sees that there is no 
belief in his existence, or his perfec- 
tions ; no real trust in him, no reliance 
on his promises, his wisdom, his grace, 
it cannot be proper that he should grant 
an answer to our petitions. This will 
account sufficiently for the fact that 
there are so many prayers unanswered ; 
that we so frequently go to the throne 
of grace, and are sent empty away. A 
man that goes to God in such a state 
of mind, should not expect to receive 
any favour. 

8. A double-minded man. The word 

3 



here used, St^u^oj, occurs only here and 
in ch. iv. 8. It means properly one 
who has two souls ; then one who is 
wavering or inconstant. It is applica- 
ble to a man who has no settled prin- 
ciples, who is controlled by passion, 
who is influenced by popular feeling, 
who is now inclined to one opinion or 
course of conduct, and now to another. 
% Is unstable in all his ways. That is, 
not merely in regard to prayer, the 
point particularly under discussion, but 
in respect to every thing. From the 
instability which the wavering must 
evince in regard to prayer, the apostle 
takes occasion to make the general re- 
mark concerning such a man, that 
stability and firmness could be expected 
on no subject. The hesitancy which 
he manifested on that one subject 
would extend to all ; and we might 
expect to find such a man irresolute 
and undetermined in all things. This 
is always true. If we find a man who 
takes hold of the promises of God with 
firmness ; who feels the deepest assur- 
ance when he prays that God will hear 
prayer ; who always goes to him with- 
out hesitation in his perplexities and 
trials, never wavering, we shall find one 
who is firm in his principles, steady in 
his integrity, settled in his determina- 
tions, and steadfast in his plans of life ; 
a man whose character we shall feel 
that we understand, and in whom we 
can confide. Such a man eminently 
was Luther; and the spirit which is 
thus evinced by taking firmly hold of 
the promises of God is the best kind 
of religion. 

9. Let the brother of low degree. 
This verse seems to introduce a new 
; topic, which has no other connexion 
j wjth what precedes than that the apos- 



26 



JAMES. 



[A. U 60 



10 But the rich, in that he is 
made low because as the flower 

tie is discussing the general subject of 
trials. Comp. ver. 2. Turning from the 
consideration of trials in general, he 
passes to the consideration of a par- 
ticular kind of trials, that which results 
from a change of circumstances in life, 
from poverty to affluence, and from 
affluence to poverty. The idea which 
seems to have b^en in the mind of 
the apostle is, that there is a great 
and important trial of faith in any 
reverse of circumstances ; a trial in 
being elevated from poverty to riches, 
or in being depressed from a state of 
afHuence to want. Wherever change 
occurs in the external circumstances 
of life, there a man's religion is put 
to the test, and there he should feel 
that God is trying the reality of his 
faith. The phrase « of low degree' 
(tart£wb$) means one in humble cir- 
cumstances ; one of lowly rank or em- 
ployment ; one in a condition of de- 
pendence or poverty. It stands here 
particularly opposed to one who is rich, 
and the apostle doubtless had his eye, 
in the use of this word, on those who 
had been poor. % Rejoice, marg. glory. 
Not because, being made rich, he has 
the means of sensual gratification and 
indulgence ; not because he will now 
be regarded as a rich man, and will 
feel that he is above want ; not even 
because he will have the means of 
doing good to others. Neither of these 
was the idea in the mind of the apostle, 
but it was, that the poor man that is 
made rich should rejoice because his 
faith and the reality of his religion 
ere now *~ied ; because a test is fur- 
nished ^iiich will show, in the new 
circumstances in which he is placed, 
whether his piety is genuine. In 
fact, there is almost no trial of re- 
ligion which is more certain and 
decisive than that furnished by a 
sudden transition from poverty to 
affluence, from adversity to prospe- 



of the grass a he shall pass away, 

a Is. 40. 6. 



nty, from sickness to health. There 
is much religion in the world that 
wiil bear the ills of poverty, sick- 
ness, and persecution ; or that will 
bear the temptations arising from pros- 
perity, and even affluence, which will 
not bear the transition from one to the 
other, as there is many a human frame 
that could become accustomed to bear 
either the steady heat of the equator, 
or the intense cold of the north, that 
could not bear a rapid transition from 
the one to the other. See this thought 
illustrated in the Notes on Phil. iv. 12. 
% In that he is exalted, A good man 
might rejoice in such a transition be- 
cause it would furnish him the means 
of being more extensively useful ; most 
persons would rejoice because such a 
condition is that for which men corn 
monly aim, and because it would fur. 
nish them the means of display, of 
sensual gratification, or cf ease; bu\ 
neither of these is the idea of the 
apostle. The thing in which we ara 
to rejoice in the transitions of life is, 
that a test is furnished of our piety , 
that a trial is applied to it which ena- 
bles us to determine whether it is 
genuine. The most important thing 
conceivable for us is to know whether 
we are true Christians, and we should 
rejoice in every thing that will enable 
us to settle this point. 

10. Biit the rich, in that he is 
made low. That is, because his pro- 
perty is taken away, and he is made 
poor. Such a transition is often the 
source of the deepest sorrow, but the 
apostle says that even in that a Chris- 
tian may find occasion for thanksgiving. 
The reasons for rejoicing in this man- 
ner, which the apostle seems to have 
had in view, were these: (1) because 
it furnished a test of the reality of re- 
ligion, by showing that it is adapted to 
sustain the soul in this great trial ; that 
it cannot only bear prosperity, but that 



A.D 60.] 



CHAPTER I. 



'27 



11 For the sun is no sooner 
risen with a burning heat, but 
it withereth the grass, and the 
flower thereof falleth, and the 

it can bear the rapid transition from 
that state to one of poverty ; and (2) 
because it would furnish to the mind 
an impressive and salutary illustration 
of the fact that all earthly glory is soon 
to fade away. I may remark here, 
that the transition from affluence to 
poverty is often borne by Christians 
with the manifestation of a most lovely 
spirit, and with an entire freedom from 
murmuring and complaining. Indeed, 
there are more Christians who could 
safely bear a transition from affluence 
to poverty, from prosperity to adversity, 
than there are who could bear a sudden 
transition from poverty to affluence. 
Some of the loveliest exhibitions of 
piety which I have ever witnessed have 
been in such transitions • nor have I 
seen occasion anywhere to love reli- 
gion more than in the ease, and grace, 
and cheerfulness, with which it has 
enabled those accustomed long to more 
elevated walks, to descend to the com- 
paratively humble lot where God places 
them. New grace is imparted for this 
new form of trial, and new traits of 
Christian character are developed in 
these rapid transitions, as some of the 
most beautiful exhibitions of the laws 
of matter are brought out in the rapid 
transitions in the laboratory of the 
chemist, t Because as the flower of 
the grass he shall pass away. That is, 
since it is a fact that he will thus pass 
away, he should rejoice that he is re- 
minded of it. He should, therefore, 
esteem it a favour that this lesson is 
brought impressively before his mind. 
To learn this effectually, though by 
the less of property, is of more value 
to hina ban all his wealth would be if 
he were forgetful of it. The compa- 
rison of worldly splendour with the 
fading flower of the field, is one that is 
common in Scripture. It is probable 



grace of the fashion of it perisb- 
eth: so also shall the rich man 
fade away in his ways. 

12 Blessed is the man tha 5 

that James had his eye on the pas 
sage in Isaiah xl. 6 — 8. See Notes oi 
that passage. Comp. Notes on I Pet 
i. 24, 25. See also Ps. ciii. 15. Matt 
vi. 28—30. 

11. For the sun is no sooner riser 
with a burning heat. Isaiah (xl. 7) 
employs the word wind, referring to a 
burning wind that dries up the flowers. 
It is probable that the apostle also refers 
not so much to the sun itself, as to the 
hot and fiery wind called the simoom, 
which often rises with the sun, and 
which consumes the green herbage of 
the fields. So Rosenmiilier and Bloom- 
field interpret it. ^ It withereth the 
grass. Isa. xl. 7. It withereth the 
stalk, or that which, when dried, pro- 
duces hay or fodder; the word hero 
used being commonly employed in tho 
latter sense. The meaning is, that tho 
effect of the hot wind is to wither tho 
stalk or spire which supports the flower, 
and when that is dried up, the flowei 
itself falls. This idea will give increased 
beauty and appropriateness to the fig 
ure — that man himself is* blasted and 
withered, and then that all the external 
splendour which encircled him falls to 
the ground, like a flower whose sup- 
port is gone, f And the grace of the 
fashion of it perisheth. Its beauty dis- 
appears, f So shall the rich man fade 
away in his ways. That is, his splen- 
dour, and all on which he prided him- 
self, shall vanish. The phrase < in his 
ways/ according to Rosenmuller, refers 
to his counsels, his plans, his purposes* 
and the meaning is, that the rich man, 
with all by which he is known, shall 
vanish. A man's « ways,' that is, his 
mode of life, or those things by which 
he appears before the world, may have 
somewhat the same relation to him 
which the flower has to the stalk on 
which it grows, and by which it is su& 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 6U 



endureth temptation: for when 
he is tried, he shall receive the 
crown a of life, which 5 the Lord 

tained. The idea of James seems to 
be, that as it was indisputable that the 
rich man must soon disappear, with all 
that he had of pomp and splendour in 
the view of the world, it was well for 
him to be reminded of it by every 
change of condition ; and that he should 
therefore rejoice in ths providential dis- 
pensation by which his property would 
be taken away, and by which the real- 
ity of his religion would be tested. We 
should rejoice in any thing by which 
it can be shown whether we are pre- 
pared for heaven or not. 

12. Blessed is the man that endureth 
temptation. The apostle seems here to 
use the word temptation in the most 
general sense, as denoting any thing 
that will try the reality of religion, 
whether affliction, or persecution, or a 
direct inducement to sin placed before 
the mind. The word temptation ap- 
pears in this chapter to be used in two 
senses ; and the question may arise, 
why the apostle so employs it. Comp. 
vs. 2, 13. But, in fact, the word 
temptation is in itself of so general a 
ch&racter as to cover the whole usage, 
and to justify the manner in which it 
is employed. It denotes any thing 
that wiil try or test the reality of our 
religion ; and it may be applied, there- 
fore, either to afflictions or to direct so- 
licitations to sin ; the latter being the 
sense in which it is now commonly 
employed. In another respect, also, 
essentially the same idea enters into 
both the ways in which the word is 
employed. Affliction, persecution, sick- 
ness, &c, may be regarded as, in a 
certain sense, temptations to sin ; that 
is, the question comes before us whe- 
ther we will adhere to the religion on 
account of which we are persecuted, or 
apostatise from it, and escape these 
sufferings ; whether in sickness and 
losses we will be patient and submis- 



hath premised to thern that love 
him. 

a 2 Ti. 4. 8. Re. 2. 10. b Is. 64. 4. 

sive to that God who lays his hand 
upon us, or revolt and murmur. In 
each and every case, whether by afflic- 
tion, or by direct allurements to do 
wrong, the question comes before the 
mind whether we have religion enough 
to keep us, or whether we will yield to 
murmuring, to rebellion, and to sin. 
In these respects, in a general sense, 
all forms of trial may be regarded as 
temptation. Yet in the following 
verse (13) the apostle would guard this 
from abuse. So far as the form of trial 
involved an allurement or inducement 
to sin, he says that no man should re- 
gard it as from God. That cannot be 
his design. The trial is what he aims 
at, not the sin. In the verse hefore us 
he says, that whatever may be the form 
of the trial, a Christian should rejoice 
in it, for it will furnish an evidence 
that he is a child of God. % For when 
he is tried. In any way — if he bears 
the trial. % He shall receive the crown 
of life. See Notes on 2 Tim. iv. 8. 
It is possible that James had that pas- 
sage in his eye. Comp. the Intro., § 5. 
T Which the Lord hath promised. 
The sacred writers often speak of such 
a crown as promised, or as in reserve 
for the children of God. 2 Tim. iv. 8. 
1 Pet. v. 4. Rev. ii. 10 ; iii. 11 ; iv. 4. 
t Those that love him. A common 
expression to denote those who are 
truly pious, or who are his friends. It 
is sufficiently distinctive to characterize 
them, for the great mass of men do not 
love God. Comp. Rom. i. 30. 

13. Let no man say when he is 
tempted, I am tempted of God. See 
the remarks on the previous verse. The 
apostle here seems to have had his eye 
on whatever there was in trial of any 
kind to induce us to commit sin — whe- 
ther by complaining, by murmuring^ 
by apostacy, or by yielding to sin. So 
far as that was concerned, he said that 



man: 



A. D. 60.] CHAPTER I. 

13 Let no man say when he 
is tempted, I am tempted of God : 
for God cannot be tempted with 

no one should charge it on God. He 
did nothing in any way with a view 
to induce men to do evil. That was 
only an incidental thing in the trial, 
and was no part of the divine purpose 
or design. The apostle felt evidently 
that there was great danger, from the 
general manner in which the word 
temptation was used, and from the 
perverse tendency of the heart, that it 
would be charged on God that he so 
arranged these trials, and so influenced 
the mind, as to present inducements to 
sin. Against this, it was proper that 
an inspired apostle should bear his so- 
lemn testimony; so to guard the whole 
subject as to show that whatever there 
was in any form of trial that could be 
regarded as an inducement or allure- 
ment to sin, is not the thing which he 
contemplated in the arrangement, and 
does not proceed from him. It has its 
origin in other causes ; and if there 
was nothing in the corrupt human 
mind itself leading to sin, there would 
be nothing in the divine arrangement 
that would produce it. % For God 
cannot be tempted with evil. Marg. 
evils. The sense is the same. The 
object seems to be to show that in re- 
gard to the whole matter of temptation 
it does not pertain to God. Nothing 
can be presented to his mind as an in- 
ducement to do wrong, and as little 
can he present any thing to the mind 
of man to induce him to sin. Tempt- 
ation is a subject which does not per- 
tain to him. He stands aloof from it 
altogether. In regard to the particular 
statement here, that * God cannot be 
tempted with evil,' or to do evil, there 
can be no doubt of its truth, and it 
furnishes the highest security for the 
welfare of the universe. There is no- 
thing in him that has a tendency to 
wrong; there can be nothing presented 
from without to induce him to do 
3* 



SfiU 



1 evil, neither tempteth he any 



] or, evits. 



wrong. (1.) There is no evil passion 
to be gratified, as there is in men ■ 
(2.) There is no want of power, so 
that an allurement could be presented 
to seek what he has not ; (3.) There 
is no want of wealth, for he has infi- 
finite resources, and all that there is or 
can be is his (Ps. 1. 1 0, 1 1) ; (4.) There 
is no want of happiness, that he should 
seek happiness in sources which are 
not now in his possession. Nothing, 
therefore, could be presented to the di- 
vine mind as an inducement to do 
evil, % Neither tempteth he any man. 
That is, he places nothing before any 
human being with a view to induce 
him to do wrong. This is one of the 
most positive and unambiguous of all 
the declarations in the Bible, and one 
of the most important. It may be 
added, that it is one which stands in 
opposition to as many feelings of the 
human heart as perhaps any other one. 
We are perpetually thinking — the 
heart suggests it constantly — that God 
does place before us inducements to 
evil, with a view to lead us to sin. 
This is done in many ways : (a) Meu 
take such views of his decrees as if the 
doctrine implied that he meant that we 
should sin, and that it could not be 
otherwise than that we should sin. 
(6) It is felt that all things are under 
his control, and that he has made his 
arrangements with a design that men 
should do as they actually do. (c) It 
is said that he has created us with just 
such dispositions as we actually have, 
and knowing that we would sin. (d) 
It is said that, by the arrangements oi 
his Providence, he actually places in- 
ducements before us to sin, knowing 
that the effect will be that we will fall 
into sin, when he might easily have 
prevented it. (e) It is said thai he 
suffers some to tempt others, when ha 
might easily prevent it if he chose, auj 



JAMES. 



I A. D. 6(1 



14 But every man is tempted, 
when he is drawn away of his 
own a lust s and enticed. 

15 Then when lust hath b con- 
that this is the same as tempting them 
himself. Now, in regard to these 
things, there may be much which we 
cannot explain, and much which often 
troubles the heart even of the good ; 
yet the passage before us is explicit on 
one point, and all these things must 
be held in consistency with that — that 
God does not place inducements before 
us with a view that we should sin, or 
in order to lead us into sin. None of 
his decrees, or his arrangements, or his 
desires, are based on that, but all have 
some other purpose and end. The 
real force of temptation is to be traced 
to some other source — to ourselves, and 
not to God. See the next verse. 

14. But every man is tempted when 
he is drawn away of his own lust. 
That is, the fountain or source of all 
temptation is in man himself. It is 
true that external inducements to sin 
may be placed before him, but they 
would have no force if there was not 
something in himself to which they 
corresponded, and over which they 
might have power. There must be 
some 1 lust some desire ; some incli- 
nation ; something which is unsatisfied 
now, which is made the foundation of 
the temptation, and which gives it all 
its power. If there were no capacity 
for receiving food, or desire for it, ob- 
jects placed before us appealing to the 
appetite could never be made a source 
of temptation ; if there were nothing in 
the soul which could be regarded as 
the love of acquisition or possession, 
gold would furnish no temptation ; if 
there were no sensual propensities, we 
should be in that quarter above the 
power of temptation. In each case, 
and in every form, the power of the 
temptation is laid in some propensity 
of our nature, some desire of that which 
we do not now nossess. The word 



ceived, it bringeth forth sin : and 
sin, when it is finished, bringeth 
forth death. c 

a Hos. 13. 9. h Job 15. 35. c Ro. 6. 21-23. 

rendered < lust 1 in this place (irCi&vfAia), 
is not employed here in the narrow 
sense in which it is now commonly 
used, as denoting libidinousness. It 
means desire in general ; an earnest 
wish for any thing. Notes, Eph. iv. 
22. It seems here to be used with re- 
ference to the original propensities of 
our nature — the desires implanted in 
us, which are a stimulus to employ- 
ment — as the desire of knowledge, of 
food, of power, of sensual gratifications 
— and the idea is, that a man may be 
drawn along by these beyond the pre- 
scribed limits of indulgence, and in the 
pursuit of objects that are forbidden. 
He does not stop at the point at which 
the law requires him to stop, and is 
therefore guilty of transgression. This 
is the source of all sin. The original 
propensity may not be wrong, but may 
be perfectly harmless — as in the case 
of the desire of food, &c. Nay, it may 
furnish a most desirable stimulus to 
action ; for how could the human pow 
ers be called forth, if it were not for 
this 1 The error, the fault, the sin, is 
not restraining the indulgence where 
we are commanded to do it, either in 
regard to the objects sought, or in re- 
gard to the degree of indulgence, 
t And enticed. Entrapped, caught ; 
that is, he is seized by this power and 
held fast ; or he is led along and be- 
guiled until he falls into sin, as in a 
snare that springs suddenly upon him. 

15. Then when lust hath conceived. 
Comp. Job xv. 35. The allusion here 
is obvious. The meaning is, when the 
desire which we have naturally is 
quickened, or made to act, the result ia 
that sin is produced. As our desires 
of good lie in the mind by nature ; as 
our propensities exist as they were cie- 
ated, they cannot be regarded as sin, 
or treated as such, but when they are 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER I. 



31 



indulged ; when plans of gratification 
are formed ; when they are developed 
in actual life, the effect is sin. In the 
mere desire of good, of happiness, of 
food, of raiment, there is no sin; it be- 
comes sin when indulged in an impro- 
per manner, and when it leads us to 
seek that which is forbidden — to in- 
vade the rights of others, or in any way 
to violate the laws of God. The Rab- 
bins have a metaphor which strongly 
expresses the general sense of this pas- 
sage : " Evil concupiscence is at the 
beginning like the thread of a spider's 
web ; afterwards it is like a cart rope." 
Sanhedrin, fol. 99. It bringeth 
forth sin. The result is sin ; open, 
actual sin. When that which is con- 
ceived in the heart is matured, it is 
seen to be sin. The design of all this 
is to show that sin is not to be traced 
to God, but to man himself; and in 
order to this, the apostle says that there 
is enough in the heart of man to ac- 
count for all actual sin, without sup- 
posing that it is caused by God. The 
solution which he gives is, that there 
are certain propensities in man which, 
when they are suffered to act them- 
selves out, will account for all the sin 
in the world. In regard to those na- 
tive propensities themselves, he does 
not say whether he regards them as 
sinful and blameworthy or not; and the 
probability is, that he did not design to 
enter into a formal examination, or to 
make a formal statement, of the nature 
of these propensities themselves. He 
looked at man as he is — as a creature 
of God — as endowed with certain ani- 
mal propensities — as seen in fact to 
have strong passions by nature, and he 
showed that there was enough in him 
to account for the existence of sin 
without bringing in the agency of God, 
or charging it on him. In reference to 
those propensities, it may be observed 
that there are two kinds, either of 
which may account for the existence 
of sin, but which are frequently both 
lombined. There are, first, our natu- 



ral propensities ; those which we have 
as men, as endowed with an animal 
nature, as having constitutional desires 
to be gratified, and wants to be sup- 
plied. Such Adam had in innocence; 
such the Saviour had ; and such are 
to be regarded as in no respect in them- 
selves sinful and wrong. Yet they 
may, in our case, as they did in Adam, 
lead us to sin, because, under their 
strong influence, we may be led to de- 
sire that which is forbidden, or which 
belongs to another. But there are, 
secondly, the propensities and inclina- 
tions which we have as the result of 
the fall, and which are evil in theii 
nature and tendency ; which as a mat- 
ter of course, and especially when com- 
bined with the former, lead to open 
transgression. It is not always easy 
to separate these, and in fact they are 
often combined in producing the actual 
guilt of the world. It often requires a 
close analysis of a man's own mind to 
detect these different ingredients in his 
conduct, and the one often gets the 
credit of the other. The apostle James 
seems to have looked at it as a simple 
matter of fact, with a common sense 
view, by saying that there were desires 
(sTii^vfdas) in a man's own mind 
which would account for all the actual 
sin in the world, without charging it 
on God. Of the truth of this, no one 
can entertain a doubt. f And sin, 
when it is finished, bringeth forth 
death. The result of sin, when it is 
fully carried out, is death — death in all 
forms. The idea is, that death, in 
whatever form it exists, is to be traced 
to sin, and that sin will naturally and 
regularly produce it. There is a strong 
similarity between this declaration and 
that of the apostle Paul (Rom. vi. 21 
— 23), and it is probable that James 
had that passage in his eye. See the 
sentiment illustrated in the Notes on 
that passage, and on Romans v. 12. 
Any one who indulges in a sinful 
thought or corrupt desire, should reflect 
that it may end in &*ath — death tern- 



32 



JAMES. 



[A. 1). 60. 



16 Do not err, my beloved 
brethren. 

17 Every "good gift, and every 
perfect gift is from above, and 

a Jno. 3. 27. 1 Co. 4. 7. 

poral and eternal. Its natural tendency 
will be to produce such a death. This 
reflection should induce us to check an 
$vil thought or desire at the beginning. 
Not for one moment should we indulge 
in it, for soon it may secure the mas- 
tery and be beyond our control, and the 
end may be seen in the grave, and the 
awful world of wo. 

16. Do not err, my beloved brethren. 
This is said as if there were great dan- 
ger of error in the point under consi- 
deration. The point on which he 
would guard them, seems to have been 
in respect to the opinion that God was 
the author of sin, and that the evils in 
the world are to be traced to him. 
There was great danger that they would 
embrace that opinion, for experience 
has shown that it is a danger into 
which men are always prone to fall. 
Some of the sources of this danger have 
been already alluded to. Notes on 
ver. 13. To meet the danger, he says 
that, so far is it from being true that God 
is the source of evil, he is in fact the 
author of all that is good: every good 
gift, and every perfect gift (ver. J 7), is 
from him. ver. 18. 

1 7. Every good gift, and every per- 
fect gift. The difference between 
good and perfect here, it is not easy 
to mark accurately. It may be that 
the former means that which is bene- 
volent in its character and tendency ; 
the latter that which is entire, where 
there is nothing even apparently want- 
ing to complete it ; where it can be re- 
garded as good as a whole and in all 
its parts. The general sense is, that 
God is the author of all good. Every 
thing that is good on the ear'h we are 
to trace to him ; evil has another origin. 
Comp. Matth. xiii. 28. ^ Is from 
above. From God, who is often repre- 



cometh down from the Fathei 
of lights, with whom fc is no va« 
riableness, neither shadow of 
turning. 

b 1 Sa. 15. 29. Mai. 3. 6. 
sented as dwelling above — in heaven, 
1 And cometh down from the Father 
of lights* From God, the source and 
fountain of all light. Light, in the 
Scriptures, is the emblem of knowledge, 
purity, happiness; and God is often 
represented as light. Comp. 1 John i. 
5. Notes 1 Tim. vi. 16. There is, 
doubtless, an allusion here to the 
heavenly bodies, among which the sun 
is the most brilliant. It appears to us 
to be the great original fountain of light, 
diffusing its radiance over all worlds. 
No cloud, no darkness seems to come 
from the sun, but it pours its rich efful- 
gence on the farthest part of the uni- 
verse. So it is wiih God. There 
is no darkness in him { \ john i. 5) ; 
and all the moral light and purity which 
there is in the universe is to be traced 
to him. The word Father here is 
used in a sense v hich is common in 
Hebrew (Comp. Notes Matth. i. 1) as 
denoting that which is (he source of 
any thing, or that from which any 
thing proceeds. Comp, Notes on Isa. 
ix. 6. ^ With whom is no variable- 
?iess, neither shadow of turning. The 
design here is clearly to contrast God 
with the sun in a certain respect. As 
the source of light, there is a strong 
resemblance. But in the sun there are 
certain changes. It does not shine on 
all parts of the earth at the same time, 
nor in the same manner all the year. 
It rises and sets ; it crosses the line 
and seems to go far to the south, and 
sends its rays obliquely on the earth ; 
then it ascends to the north, recrosses 
the line, and sends its rays obliquely 
on southern regions. By its revolu- 
tions it produces the changes of the 
seasons, and makes a constant variety 
on the earth in the productions of dif- 
ferent climes. In this respect God it 



M D. 60.] 



CHAPTER I. 



33 



18 Of a his own will begat he 
us with the word of truth, that 

a Jno. 1. 13. 

not indeed like the sun. With him 
there is no variableness, not even the 
appearance of turning. He is always 
the same, at all seasons of the year, 
and in all ages; there is no change in 
his character, his mode of being, his 
purposes and plans. What he was 
millions of ages before the worlds 
were made, he is now ; what he is 
now he will be countless millions of 
ages hence. We may be sure that 
whatever changes there may be in 
human affairs ; whatever reverses we 
may undergo ; whatever oceans we 
may cross, or whatever mountains we 
may climb, or in whatever worlds we 
may hereafter take up our abode, God 
is the same. — The word which is here 
rendered variableness (rtapaftAay^) oc- 
curs nowhere else in the New Testa- 
ment. It means change, alteration, 
vicissitude, and would properly be ap- 
plied to the changes observed in as- 
tronomy. See the examples quoted in 
Wetstein. The phrase rendered shadow 
of turning would properly refer to the 
different shade or shadow cast by the 
sun from an object, in its various revo- 
lutions, in rising and setting, and in its 
changes at the different seasons of the 
year. God, on the other hand, is as 
if the sun stood in the meridian at 
noon-day, and never cast any shadow. 

18. Of his own will. Gr. willing, 
j3ov%^si^ The idea is, that the fact 
that we are 1 begotten' to be his chil- 
dren is to be traced solely to his will. 
He purposed it, and it was done. The 
antecedent in the case on which all de- 
pended was the sovereign will of God. 
See this sentiment explained in the 
Notes on John i. 13. Comp. Notes on 
Eph. i. 5. When it is said, however, 
that he has done this by his mere 
will, it is not to be inferred that there 
was no reason why it should be done, 
©r that the exercise of his will was I 



we should be a kind of first-fruits 
^of his creatures. 

b Je. 2. 3. Ep. 1. 12. Re. 14. 4. 

arbitrary, but only that his will deter 
mined the matter, and that is the 
cause of our conversion. It is not to 
be inferred that there are not in all 
cases good reasons why God wills as 
he does, though those reasons are not 
often stated to us, and perhaps we 
could not comprehend them if they 
were. The object of the statement 
here seems to be to direct the mind up 
to God as the source of good and not 
evil; and among the most eminent 
illustrations of his goodness is this, 
that by his mere will, without any ex- 
ternal power to control him, and where 
there could be nothing but benevolence, 
he has adopted us into his family, and 
given us a most exalted condition, as 
renovated beings, among his creatures, 
t Begat he us. The Greek word here 
is the same which in ver. 15 is ren- 
dered < bringeth forth' — " sin bringeih 
forth death." The word is perhaps 
designedly used here in contrast with 
that, and the object is to refer to a dif- 
ferent kind of production, or bringing 
forth, under the agency of sin, and the 
agency of God. The meaning here 
is, that we owe the beginning of our 
spiritual life to God. Tf With the word 
of truth. By the instrumentality of 
truth. It was not a mere creative act, 
but it was by truth as the seed or germ. 
There is no effect produced in our 
minds in regeneration which the truth 
is not fitted to produce, and the agency 
of God in the case is to secure its fair 
and full influence on the soul, f Thai 
we should be a kind of first-fruits of 
his creatures. Comp. Eph. i. 12. For 
the meaning of the word rendered 
first-fruits, see Note on Rom. viii, S3. 
Comp. Rom. xi. 6 ; xvi. 5. 1 Cor. xv 
20, 23; xvi. 15. Rev. xiv. 4. It does 
not elsewhere occur in the New Testa- 
ment. It denotes properly that which 
is first taken from any thing ; the por 



JAMES. 



[A. D 60 



19 Wherefore, my beloved 
brethren, let every man be swift 



lion which was usually offered to God. 
The phrase here does not primarily 
denote eminence in honour or degree, 
but refers rather to time — the first in 
time ; and in a secondary sense it is 
then used to denote the honour attached 
to that circumstance. The meaning 
here is, either (1) that, under the gospel, 
those who w r ere addressed by the apos- 
tles had the honour of being first called 
into his kingdom as a part of that 
glorious harvest which it was designed 
to gather in this world, and that the 
goodness of God was manifested in 
thus furnishing the first-fruits of a 
most glorious harvest; or (2) the re- 
ference may be to the rank and dignity 
which all who are born again would 
have among the creatures of God in 
virtue of the new birth. 

19. Wherefore, ray beloved brethren. 
The connexion is this : « since God is 
the only source of good ; since he 
tempts no man ; and since by his mere 
sovereign goodness, without any claim 
on our part, we have had the high hon- 
our conferred on us of being made the 
first-fruits of his creatures, we ought 
to be ready to hear his voice, to sub- 
due all our evil passions, and to bring 
our souls to entire practical obedience.' 
The necessity of obedience, or the doc- 
trine that the gospel is not only to 
be learned but practised, is pursued at 
length in this and the following chapter. 
The particular statement here (vs. 19 
—21) is, that religion requires us to be 
meek and docile ; to lay aside all irrita- 
bility against the truth, and all pride 
of opinion, and all corruption of heart, 
and to receive meekly the ingrafted 
word See the analysis of the chapter. 
| Let every man be swift to hear, 
slow to speak. That is, primarily, to 
hear God ; to listen to the instructions 
of that truth by which we have been 
begotten, and brought into so near re- 



to hear, slow 3 to speak, slow b U 
wrath : 

a Ec. 5. 2. b Pr. 16. 32. 

lation to him. At the same time, 
though this is the primary sense of 
the phrase here, it may be regarded as 
inculcating the general doctrine that 
we are to be more ready to hear than 
to speak ; or that we are to be disposed 
to learn always, and from any source. 
Our appropriate condition is rather that 
of learners than instructors ; and the 
attitude of mind which we should cul- 
tivate is that of a readiness to receive 
information from any quarter. The 
ancients have some sayings on this 
subject which are well worthy of our 
attention. " Men have two ears, and 
but one tongue, that they should hear 
more than they speak." 44 The ears 
are always open, ever ready to receive 
instruction ; but the tongue is sur- 
rounded with a double row of teeth, 
to hedge it in, and to keep it within 
proper bounds." See Benson. So "Va- 
lerius Maximus, vii. 2. 4 How noble 
was the response of Xenocrates ! When 
he met the reproaches of others with a 
profound silence, some one asked him 
why he alone was silent 1 Because, 
says he, I have sometimes had occasion 
to regret that I have spoken, never that 
I was silent.' See Wetstein. So the 
son of Sirach, 4 Be swift to hear, and 
with deep consideration (gV fmxpo^vfua) 
give answer.' ch. v. 11. So the Rab- 
bins have some similar sentiments. 
44 Talk little and work much," Pirkey 
Aboth. c. i. 15. 4t The righteous speak 
little and do much ; the wicked speak 
much and do nothing." Bava Metsia, 
fol. 87. A sentiment similar to that 
before us is found in Ecclesiastes v. 2. 
" Be not rash with thy mouth, and let 
not thine heart be hasty to utter any 
thing before God." So Prov. x. 1 9. « In 
the multitude of words there wanteth 
not sin." xiii. 3. 44 He that keepeth 
his mouth keepeth his life." xv. 2. 
" The tongue of the wise useth know- 



a. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER I. 



20 For the wrath of man 
worketh not the righteousness 
of God. 



ledge aright, but the mouth of fools 
poureth out foolishness." ^ Slow to 
wrath. That is, we are to govern and 
restrain our temper; we are not to give 
indulgence to excited and angry pas- 
sions. Comp. Prov. xvi. 32. « He that 
is slow to anger is greater than the 
mighty ; and he that ruleth his spirit 
than he that taketh a city.' , See also 
on this subject, Job v. 2. Prov. xxxvii. 
8 ; xi. 17 ; xiii. 10 ; xiv. 16 ; xv. 1 8 ; xix, 
19; xxii. 24; xxv.28. Ecci. vii. 9. Rom. 
xii. 17. 1 Thess. v. 14. 1 Pet. iii. 8. 
The particular point here is, however, 
not that we should be slow to wrath as 
a general habit of mind, which is in- 
deed most true, but in reference par- 
ticularly to the reception of the truth. 
We should lay aside all anger and 
wrath, and should come to the investi- 
gation of truth with a calm mind, and 
an imperturbed spirit. A state of wrath 
or anger is always unfavourable to the 
investigation of truth. Such an inves- 
tigation demands a calm spirit, and he 
whose mind is excited and enraged is 
not in a condition to see the value of 
truth, or to weigh the evidence for it. 

20. For the wrath of man worketh 
not the righteousness of God. Does 
not produce in the life that righteous- 
ness which God requires. Its tendency 
is not to incline us to keep the law, but 
to break it; not to induce us to em- 
brace the truth, but the opposite. The 
meaning of this passage is not that our 
wrath will make God either more or less 
righteous ; but that its tendency is not 
to produce that upright course of life, 
and love of truth, which God requires. 
A man is never sure of doing right 
under the influence of excited feelings ; 
he may do that which is in the highest 
sense wrong, and which he will re- 
gret all his life. The particular mean- 
ing of this passage is, that wrath in 



I 21 Wherefore lay apart "all 
filthiness and superfluity of 

a Col. 3. 5- -8. He. 12. 1. 1 Pe. 2. 1. 2. 



the mind of man will not have any 
tendency to make him righteous. It 
is only that candid state of mind which 
will lead him to embrace the truth 
which can be hoped to have such an 
effect. 

21. Wherefore. In view of the fact 
that God has begotten us for his own 
service ; in view of the fact that ex- 
cited feeling tends only to wrong, let 
us lay aside all that is evil, and submit 
ourselves wholly to the influence of 
truth. ^ Lay apart all filthiness. The 
word here rendered filthiness, occurs 
nowhere else in the New Testament. 
It means properly filth; and then is 
applied to evil conduct considered as 
disgusting or offensive. Sin may be 
contemplated as a wrong thing ; as a 
violation of law ; as evil in its nature 
and tendency, and therefcrre to be 
avoided ; or it may be contemplated as 
disgusting, offensive, loathsome. To a 
pure mind this is one of its most odious 
characteristics ; for to such a mind sin 
in any form is more loathsome than the 
most offensive object can be to any of 
the senses. ^ And superfluity of 
naughtiness. Literally, < abounding of 
evil.' It is rendered by Doddridge, 
" overflowing of malignity ;" by Tindal, 
"superfluity of maliciousness;" by 
Benson, " superfluity of malice ;" by 
Bloomfleld, " petulance." The phrase 
« superfluity of naughtiness,' or of evil, 
does not exactly express the sense, as 
if we were only to lay aside tb.it which 
abounded, or which is superfluous. 
though we might retain that which 
does not come under this description 
but the object of the apostle is to cx 
press his deep abhorrence of the thing 
referred to by strong and emphatic 
language. He had just spoken of sin 
in one aspect, as filthy, loathsome, de 
testable; here he designs to express 



38 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60. 



naughtiness, and receive with 
meekness the engrafted word, 
which is able to save your 
souls. 

22 But be ye doers a of the 

a Mat. 7. 21. 



his abhorrence of it by a still more 
emphatic description, and he speaks of 
it not merely as an evil, but as an evil 
abounding, overflowing ; an evil in 
the highest degree. The thing referred 
to had the essence of evil in it (xaxia) ; 
but it was not merely evil, it was evil 
that was aggravated, that was over- 
flowing, that was eminent in degree 
(ftspiticfsla)' The particular reference 
in these passages is to the reception 
of the truth, and the doctrine taught 
is, that a corrupt mind, a mind full of 
sensuality and wickedness, is not fa- 
vourable to the reception of the truth. 
It is not fitted to see its beauty, to 
appreciate its value, to understand its 
just claims, or to welcome it to the 
soul. Purity of heart is the best pre- 
paration always for seeing the force 
of truth, f And receive with meek- 
ness. That is, open the mind and heart 
xo instruction, and to the fair influence 
of truth. Meekness, gentleness, docility, 
are everywhere required in receiving 
the instructions of religion, as they are 
in obtaining knowledge of any kind. 
See Notes on Matth. xviii. 2, 3. f The 
engrafted word. The gospel is here 
represented under the image of that 
which is implanted or engrafted from 
another source ; by a figure that would 
be readily understood, for the art of 
engrafting is everywhere known. 
Sometimes the gospel is represented 
under the image of seed sown (Comp. 
Mark vi. 14, seq.) ; but here it is under 
the figure of a shoot implanted or en- 
grafted, that produces fruit of its own, 
whatever may be the original character 
of the tree into which it is engrafted. 
Comp. Notes on Rom. xi. 17. The 
meaning here is, that we should allow 



word, aad not hearers only, de- 
ceiving your own selves. 

23 For if any be a hearer of 
the word, and not a doer, he is 
like unto a man beholding his 
natural face in a glass : 



the principles of the gospel to be thus 
engrafted on ourxiature; that however 
crabbed or perverse our nature maybe; 
or however bitter and vile the fruits 
which it might bring forth of its own 
accord, it might, through the engrafted 
word, produce the fruits of righteous- 
ness, f Which is able to save your 
souls. It is not, therefore, a weak and 
powerless thing, merely designed to 
show its own feebleness, and to give 
occasion for God to work a miracle ; 
but it has power, and is adapted to 
save. Comp. Notes on Rom. i. 16; 1 
Cor. i. 18; 2 Tim. iii. 15. 

22. But be ye doers of the word, 
and not hearers only. Obey the gospel, 
and do not merely listen to it. Comp. 
Matth. vii. 21. \ Deceiving your own 
selves. It is implied here, that by 
merely hearing the word but not doing 
it, they would deceive their own souls. 
The nature of this deception was this, 
that they would imagine that that was 
all which was required, whereas the 
main thing was that they should be 
obedient. If a man supposes that by 
a mere punctual attendance on preach- 
ing, or a respectful attention to it, he 
has done all that is required of him, 
he is labouring under a most gross self- 
deception. And yet, there are multi- 
tudes who seem to imagine that they 
have done all that is demanded of them 
when they have heard attentively the 
word preached 4 . Of its influence on 
their lives, and its claims to obedience, 
they are utterly regardless. 

23, 24. For if any be, &c. The 
ground of the comparison in these 
verses is obvious. The apostle refers 
to what all persons experience, the fact 
that we do not retain a distinct irapres- 



A. D. 60.] CHAPTER 1. 3* 

24 For he beholdeth himself, the perfect law of libeity, fc and 
and goeth his way, and straight- ' continueth therein, he being not 
way forgetteth what manner of a forgetful hearer, but a doer of 
man he was. the work, this man c shall be 

25 But whoso looketh a into blessed in his *deed. 



a 2 Co. 3. 18. 



sion of ourselves after we have looked 
in a mirror. While actually looking 
in the mirror, we see all our features, 
and can trace them distinctly ; when 
we turn away, the image and the im- 
pression A both vanish. When looking 
in the mirror, we can see all the defects 
and blemishes of our person ; if there 
is a scar, a deformity, a feature of ugli- 
ness, it is distinctly before the mind ; 
but when we turn away, that is < out of 
sight, and out of mind.' When unseen 
it gives no uneasiness, and, even if ca- 
pable of correction, we take no pains 
to remove it. So when we hear the 
word of God. It is like a mirror held 
up before us. In the perfect precepts 
of the law, and the perfect requirements 
of the gospel, we see our own short- 
comings and defects, and perhaps think 
that we will correct them. But we 
turn away immediately, and forget it 
all. If, however, we were " doers of 
the word," we should endeavour to 
remove all those defects and blemishes 
in our moral character, and to bring 
our whole souls into conformity with 
what the law and the gospel require. 
The phrase 1 natural face* (Gr. face of 
birth") means the face or appearance 
which we have in virtue of our natural 
birth. The word glass here means 
mirror. Glass was not commonly 
used for mirrors among the ancients, 
but they were made of polished plates 
of metal. See Notes on Isa. iii. 24, 
and Job xxxvii. 18. 

24. For he beholdeth himself. While 
he looks in the mirror he sees his true 
appearance. % And goeth his way, 
and straightway forgetteth* As soon 
as he goes away, he forgets it. The 
apostle does not refer to any intention 
4 



b Ps. 119. 45. c Lu. 6. 47, &c. " or, doing* 

on his part, but to what is known to 
occur as a matter of fact. ^ What 
manner of person he was. How he 
looked ; and especially if there was 
any thing in his appearance that re- 
quired correction. 

25. But whoso looketh (jtapaxv^aj). 
This word means, to stoop down near 
by any thing; to bend forward near so 
as to look at anything more closely. 
See the word explained in the Note^ 
on 1 Pet. i. 12. The idea here is V . -t 
of a close and attentive observation, 
The object is not to contrast the man- 
ner of looking in the glass, and in the 
law of liberty, implying that the former 
was a « careless beholding, and the lat- 
ter an attentive and careful looking, as 
Doddridge, Rosenmiiller, Bloomfield, 
and others suppose, for the word used 
in the former case (x&t svorjds) implies 
intense or accurate observation, as 
really as the word used here ; but the 
object is to show that if a man would 
attentively look into, and continue in 
the law of liberty, and not do as one 
who went away and forgot how he 
looked, he would be blessed. The em- 
phasis is not in the manner of looking, 
it is on the duty of continuing or perse- 
vering in the observance of the law. 
t The perfect law of liberty. Referring 
to the law of God, or his will, how- 
ever made known, as the correct stand- 
ard of conduct. It is called the per- 
fect law, as being wholly free from all 
defects ; being just such as a law ought 
to be. Comp. Ps. xix. 7. It is called 
the law of liberty, or freedom, because 
it is a law producing freedom from the 
servitude of sinful passions and lusts 
Comp. Ps. cxix. 45 ; Notes on Rom 
vi. 1 6 — 1 8. And continueth therein 



38 JAMES. [A.D. 60 

26 If any man among you ceiveth his own heart, this man's 
seem to be religious, and bri- religion is vain, 
dleth not his tongue, °but de- aPs. 34. 13. 



He must not merely look at the law, or 
see what he is by comparing himself 
with its requirements, but he must 
yield steady obedience to it. Notes on 
John xiv. 21. 1 This man shall be 
klessed in his deed. Marg. doing. The 
meaning is, that he shall be blessed in 
the very act of keeping the law. It 
will produce peace of conscience ; it 
will impart happiness of a high order to 
his mind ; it will exert a good influence 
over his whole soul. Ps. xix. 11. "In 
keeping of them there is great reward." 
26. If any man among you seem 
be religious. Pious, or devout. 
That is, if he does not restrain his 
tongue, his other evidences of religion 
are worthless. A man may undoubt- 
edly have many things in his character 
which stem to be evidences of the ex- 
istence of religion in his heart, and yet 
there may be some one thing that shall 
show that all those evidences are false. 
Religion is designed to produce an ef- 
fect on our whole conduct; and if there 
is any one thing in reference to which 
it does not bring us under its control, 
that one thing may show that all other 
appearances of piety are worthless. 
% And bridletk ?wt his tongue. Re- 
strains or curbs it not, as a horse is 
restrained with a bridle. There may 
have been some reason why the apostle 
referred to this particular sin which is 
now unknown to us; or he may per- 
haps have intended to select this as a 
specimen to illustrate this idea, that if 
there is any one evil propensity which 
religion does not control, or if there is 
any one thing in respect to which its 
influence is not felt, whatever other 
evidences of piety there may be, this 
will demonstrate that all those appear- 
ances of religion are vain. For reli- 
gion is designed to bring the whole 
man under cnn'rol, and to subdue every J 



faculty of the body and mind to its de- 
mands. If the tongue is not restrained, 
or if there is any unsubdued propensity 
to sin whatever, it proves that there ia 
no true religion. 1 But deceiveth his 
own heart. Implying that he does de- 
ceive his heart by supposing that any 
evidence can prove that he is under the 
influence of religion if his tongue is 
unrestrained. Whatever love, or zeal, 
or orthodoxy, or gift in preaching or in 
prayer he may have, this one evil pro- 
pensity will neutralize it all, and show 
that there is no true religion at heart. 

This man's religion is vain. As 
all religion must be which does not 
control all the faculties of the body and 
the mind. The truths, then, which 
are taught in this verse, are, I. That 
there may be evidences of piety which 
seem to be veiy plausible or clear, but 
which in themselves do not prove that 
there is any true religion. There may 
be much zeal, as in the case of the 
Pharisees ; there may be much appa- 
rent love of Christians, or much out- 
ward benevolence ; there may be an 
uncommon gift in prayer; there may 
be much self-denial, as among those 
who withdraw from the world in mo- 
nasteries or nunneries ; or there may 
have been deep conviction for sin, and 
much joy at the time of the supposed 
conversion, and still there be no true 
religion. Each and all of these things 
may exist in the heart where there is 
no true religion. II. A single unsub- 
dued sinful propensity neutralizes all 
these things, and shows that there is 
no true religion. If the tongue is not 
subdued ; if any sin is indulged, it will 
show that the seat of the evil has not 
been reached, and that the soul as such 
has never been brought into subjection 
to the law of God. For, the very es* 
sence of all the sin that there was in 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER I. 



39 



27 Pure religion, and uncle- 
filed before God and the Father, 
is this, To visit °the fatherless 

a is. 1. 18, 17 ; 58. 6, 7. 



the soul may have been concentrated 
on that one propensity. Every thing 
else which may be manifested may be 
accounted for on the supposition that 
there is no religion ; this cannot be 
accounted for on the supposition that 
there is any. 

27. Pure religion. On the word 
here rendered religion (^p^orjesta) , see 
Notes on Col. ii. 18. It is used here 
evidently in the sense of piety, or as 
we commonly employ the wcrd reli- 
gion. The object of the apostle is to 
describe what enters essentially into 
religion ; what it will do when it is 
properly and fairly developed. The 
phrase 'pure religion' means that which 
is genuine and sincere, or which is free 
from any improper mixture. ^ And 
undefiled before God and the Father. 
That which God sees to be pure and 
undefiled. Rosenmuller supposes that 
there is^ metaphor here taken from 
pearls or gems, which should be pure, 
or without stain. ^ Is this. That is, 
this enters into it; or this is religion 
such as God approves. The apostle 
does not say that this is the whole of 
religion, or that there is nothing else 
essential to it ; but his general design 
clearly is, to show that religion will 
lead to a holy life, and he mentions 
this as a specimen, or an instance of 
what it will lead us to do. The things 
which he specifies here are in fact two ; 
(1.) That pure religion will lead to a 
life of practical benevolence ; and (2.) 
That it will keep us unspotted from the 
world. If these things are found, they 
show that there is true piety. If they 
are not, there is none, To visit the 
widows and fatherless in their afflic- 
tion. To go to see, to look after, to 
be ready to aid them. This is an in- 
stance or specimen of what true reli- 



and widows in theii affliction, 
and to keep himself unspotted 
^from the world. 

b Ro. 12. 2. 



gion will do, showing thaf it will lead 
to a life of practical benevolence. I 
may be remarked in respect to this, 
(1.) That this has always been re- 
garded as an essential thing in true 
religion, for (a) it is thus an imitation 
of God, who is " a father of the father- 
less, and a judge of the widows in hi3 
holy habitation" (Ps. Ixviii. 5), and 
who has always revealed himself as 
their friend (Deut. x. 18 ; xiv. 29. Ps. 
x. 14; Ixxxii. 3. Isa. i. 17. Jer. vii. 
7; xlix. 11. Hos. xiv. 3); (b) reli- 
gion is represented as leading its friends 
to do this, or this is required every- 
where of those who claim to be reli- 
gious. Isa. i. 17. Deut. xxiv. 17; 
xiv. 29. Ex. xxii. 22. Job xxix. 11 
— 13. (2.) Where this disposition to 
be the real friend of the widow and the 
orphan exists, there will also exist 
other corresponding things which go 
to make up the religious character. 
This will not stand alone. It will 
show what the heart is, and prove 
that it will ever be ready to do good. 
If a man, from proper motives, is 
the real frrend of the widow and 
the fatherless, he will be the friend 
of every good word and work, and we 
may rely on him in any and every 
way in doing good. «f And to keep 
himself unspotted from the luortd. 
Comp. Notes Rom. xii. 2. James iv. 
4. 1 John ii. 15—17. That is, reli- 
gion will keep us from the maxims, 
vices and corruptions which prevail in 
the world, and make us holy. These 
two things may, in fact, be said to con- 
stitute religion. If a man is truly be- 
nevolent, he bears the image of that 
God who is the fountain of benevo- 
lence ; if he is pure and uncontami- 
nated in his walk and deportment, he 
also resembles his Maker, for ha is 



40 



JAMES. 



[A. D. GO. 



holy. If he has not these things, 
he cannot have any well-founded evi- 
dence that he is a Christian ; for it is 
always the nature and tendency of re- 
ligion to produce these things. It is, 
therefore, an easy matter for a man to 
determine whether he has any religion ; 
and equally easy to see that religion is 
eminently desirable. Who can doubt 
that that is good which leads to com- 
passion for the poor and the helpless, 
and which makes the heart and the 
life pure 1 

CHAPTER II 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter is evidently made up 
of three parts, or three subjects are 
discussed : 

I. The duty of impartiality in the 
treatment of others, vs. 1 — 9. There 
was to be no favoritism on account of 
rank, birth, wealth, or apparel. The 
case to which the apostle refers for an 
illustration of this, is that where two 
persons should come into an assembly 
of Christian worshippers, one elegantly 
dressed, and the other meanly clad, and 
they should show special favour to the 
former, and should assign to the latter 
a more humble place. The reasons 
which the apostle assigns why they 
should not do this, are, (#) that God 
has chosen the poor for his own people, 
having selected his friends mainly from 
them ; (b) because rich men in fact 
oppressed them, and showed that they 
w r ere worthy of no special regard ; (c) 
because they were often found among 
revilers, and in fact despised their re- 
ligion ; and (d) because the law re- 
quired that they should love their 
neighbours as themselves, and if they 
did this, it was all that was demanded ; 
that is, that the love of the man was 
not to be set aside by the love of splen- 
did apparel. 

II. The duty of yielding obedience 
to the whole law in order to have evi- 
dence of true religion, vs. 10 — 13. 
ThL subject seems to have been intro- 



duced in accordance with the gerieral 
principles and aims of James (see the 
Intro.) that religion consists in obeying 
the law of God, and that there can be 
none when this is not done. It is not 
improbable that, among those to whom 
he wrote, there were some who denied 
this, or who had embraced some views 
of religion which led them to doubt it. 
He therefore enforces the duty by the 
following considerations : (1.) That if 
a man should obey every part of the 
law, and yet be guilty of offending in 
one point, he was in fact guilty of all ; 
for he showed that he had no genuine 
principle of obedience, and was guilty 
of violating the law as a whole, ver. 10. 
(2.) Every part of the law rests on the 
same authority, and one part, there- 
fore, is as binding as another. The 
same God that has forbidden murder, 
has also forbidden adultery, and he 
who does the one as really violates the 
law as he who does the other, ver. 11. 
(3.) The judgment is before us, and 
we shall be tried on impartial princi- 
ples, not with reference to obeying one 
part of the law, but with reference to 
its whole claim, and we should so act 
as becomes those who expect to be 
judged by the whole law, or on the 
question whether we have conformed 
to every part of it. vs. 12, 13. 

III. The subject of justification, 
showing that works are necessary in 
order that a man may be justified, or 
esteemed righteous before God. vs. 14 
— 26. For a general view of the de- 
sign of this part of the epistle, see In- 
tro., § 5. (2.) The object here is to 
show that in fact no one can be re- 
garded as truly righteous before God 
who does not lead an upright life, and 
that if a man professes to have faith, 
and has not works, he cannot be justi- 
fied ; or that if he have real faith, it 
will be shown by his works. If it is 
not shown by works corresponding to 
its nature, it will be certain that there 
is no true religion, or that his professed 
faith is worth nothing. The « stand 



K. D. 60.] CHAP r 

CHAPTER II. 

JUTY brethren, have not the faith 
JS-L of our Lord Jesus Christ, 



point' from which James views the 
subject, is not that faith is unneces- 
sary, or worthless, or that a man is not 
justified by faith rather than by his own 
works, in the sense of its being the 
ground of acceptance with God ; or, in 
other words, the place where the apos- 
tle takes his position, and which is the 
point from which he views the subject, 
is not before a man is justified, to in- 
quire in what way he may be accepted 
of God, but it is after the act of justi- 
fication by faith, to show that if faith 
does not lead to good works it is 
< dead,' or is of no value ; and that, in 
fact, therefore, the evidence of justifi- 
cation is to be found in good living, 
and that when this is not manifest, all 
a man's professed religion is worth no- 
thing. In doing this, he (a) makes 
the general statement, by a pointed in- 
terrogatory, that faith cannot profit ; 
that is, cannot save a man unless there 
be also works, ver. 14. He then '{b) 
appeals, for an illustration, to the case 
of one who is hungry or naked, and 
asks what mere faith could do in his 
case, if it were not accompanied with 
proper acts of benevolence, vs. 15 — 17. 
He then, (c) by a strong supposable 
case, says that real faith will be evinced 
by works, or that works are the proper 
evidence of its existence, ver. 18. He 
then (d) shows that there is a kind of 
faith which even the devils have on 
one of the most important doctrines of 
religion, and which can of no value ; 
showing that it cannot be by mere faith, 
irrespective of the question of what 
sort the faith is, that a man is to be 
saved, ver. 19. He then (e) appeals 
to the case of Abraham, showing that 
in fact works performed an important 
part in his acceptance with God ; or 
that if it had not been for his works — 
4* 



ER II. A \ 

the Lord of glory, with respec 
a of persons. 

2 For if there come unto you 

a Pr. 28. 1. Jude 16. 



that is, if there had been no spirit ot 
true obedience in his case, he could 
have had no evidence that he was jus- 
tified, or that his works were the proper 
carrying out or fulfilment of his faith, 
vs. 20—- 24. He then (/) shows that 
the same thing was true of another case 
recorded in the Old Testament — that 
of Kahab (ver. 25), and then observes 
(ver. 26) that faith without works would 
have no more claim to being true reli- 
gion than a dead body, without a soul, 
would be regarded as a living man. 

1. My brethren. Perhaps meaning 
brethren in two respects, as Jews, and 
as Christians. In both respects the form 
of address would be proper. ^ Have 
not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Faith is the distinguishing thing in 
the Christian religion, for it is this by 
which man is justified, and hence it 
comes to be put for religion itself. 
Notes on 1 Tim, iii. 9. The meaning 
here is, « do not hold such views of 
the religion of Christ, as to lead you to 
manifest partiality to others on account 
of their difference of rank or outward 
circumstances.' IT The Lord of glory 
The glorious Lord ; he who is glorious 
himself, and who is encompassed with 
glory. See Notes on 1 Cor. ii. 8. Tht 
design here seems to be to show that tht 
religion of such a Lord should be in nc 
way dishonoured. ^ With respect of 
persons. That is, you are not to show 
respect of persons, or to evince partiality 
to others on account of their rank, 
wealth, apparel, Sec. Comp. Prov 
xxiv. 23 5 xxviii. 21. Lev. xix. 15 
Deut. i. 17; x. 17. 2 Chron. xix. ? 
Ps. xl. 4. See the subject explained 
in the Notes "on Acts x. 34. Rom 
ii. 11. 

2. For if there come into your as- 
sembly. Marg., as in Gr., synagogue 



42 JAMES. [A. D. 60. 

assembly a man with a gold ring, J come in also a poor man in vile 
in goodly apparel ; and there raiment ; 

i synagogue. 3 And ye have respect to him 



It is remarkable that this is the only 
place in the New Testament where the 
word synagogue is applied to the Chris- 
tian church. It is probably employed 
here because the apostle was writing to 
those who had been Jews ; and it is to 
be presumed that the word synagogue 
would be naturally used by the early 
converts from Judaism to designate a 
Christian place of worship, or a Chris- 
tian congregation, and it was probably 
so employed until it was superseded by 
a word which the Gentile converts 
would be more likely to employ, and 
which would, in fact, be better and 
more expressive — the word church. 
The word synagogue (tfi^aycoysj) would 
properly refer to the whole congrega- 
tion, considered as assembled together, 
without respect to the question whether 
all were truly pious or not ; the word 
church (ixxfapsia) would refer to the 
assembly convened for worship as 
called out, referring to the fact that 
they were called out from the world, 
and convened as worshippers of God, 
and would, therefore, be more applicable 
to a body of spiritual worshippers. It 
is probable that the Christian church 
was modelled, in its general arrange- 
ments, after the Jewish synagogue, but 
there would be obviously some disad- 
vantages in retaining the name, as ap- 
plicable to Christian worship. It would 
be difficult to avoid the associations 
connected with the name, and hence it 
was better to adopt some other name 
which would be free from this disad- 
vantage, and on which might be en- 
grafted all the ideas which it was ne- 
cessary to connect with the notion of 
the Christian organization. Hence the 
word church, liable to no such objection 
as that of synagogue, was soon adopted, 
and ultimately prevailed, though the 
passage before us shows that the word 
synagogue would be in some places, 



and for a time, employed to designate 
a Christian congregation. We should 
express the idea here by saying, < If a 
man of this description should come 
into the church.'' f A man with a 
gold ring. Indicative of rank or pro- 
perty. Rings were common ornaments 
of the rich; and probably then, as 
now, of those who desired to be esteemed 
to be rich. For proof that they were 
commonly worn, see the quotations in 
Wetstein, in loc. %In goodly apparel. 
Rich and splendid dress. Comp. Luke 
xvi. 3 9. %A poor man in vile raiment. 
The Greek here is, filthy, foul ; the 
meaning of the passage is, in sordid, 
shabby clothes. The reference here 
seems to be, not to those who com- 
monly attended on public worship, or 
who were members of the church, but 
to those who might accidentally drop 
in to witness the services of Christians. 
See 1 Cor. xiv. 24. 

3. And ye have respect to him thai 
weareth the gay clothing. If you show 
him superior attention on account of 
his rich and gay apparel, giving him a 
seat by himself, and treating others 
with neglect or contempt. Religion 
does not forbid proper respect to rank, 
to office, to age, or to distinguished 
talents and services, though even in 
such cases it does not require that we 
should feel that such persons have any 
peculiar claims to salvation, or that 
they are not on a level with all others 
as sinners before God ; it does not for- 
bid that a man who has the means of 
procuring for himself an eligible pew 
in a church should be permitted to do 
so, but it requires that men shall be 
regarded and treated according to their 
moral worth, and not according to their 
external adorning; that all shall be 
considered as in fact on a level befoie 
God, and entitled to the privileges which 
grow out of the worship of the Creator 



\. D. GO.] 



CHAPTER II. 



43 



that weareth the gay clothing, 
and say unto him, Sit thou here 
'in a good place; and say to the 
poor, Stand thou there, or sit 
here under my footstool : 

ior, well; or, seemly. 



A. stranger coming into any place of 
worship, no matter what his rank, 
dress, or complexion, should be treated 
with respect, aad every thing should be 
done that can be to win his heart to the 
service of God. And say unto hi?n, 
Sit thou here in a good place. Marg., 
as in Gr., well or seemly; that is, in an 
honourable place near the pulpit, or in 
some elevated place where he would be 
conspicuous. The meaning is, you 
treat him with distinguished marks of 
respect on the first appearance, merely 
from the indications that he is a rich 
man, without knowing any thing about 
his character, And say to the poor, 
Stand thou there. Without even the 
civility of offering him a seat at all. 
This may be presumed not often to 
occur in a Christian church ; yet it 
practically does sometimes, when no 
disposition is evinced to furnish a 
stranger with a seat, % Or sit here 
under my footstool. Perhaps some 
seats in the places of worship were 
raised, so that even the footstool would 
be elevated above a lower seat. The 
meaning is, that he would be treated 
as if he were not worth the least at- 
tention. 

4. Arc ye not partial in yourselves. 
Among yourselves. Do you not show 
that you are partial, And are become 
judges of evil thoughts. There has 
been considerable difference of opinion 
respecting this passage, yet the sense 
seems not to be difficult. There are 
two ideas in it : one is, that they showed 
by this conduct that they took it upon 
themselves to be judges, to pronounce 
on the character of men who were 
strangers, and on their claims to re- 
spect (Comp. Matth. vii. 1) ; the other 



| 4 Are ye not then partial in 
yourselves, and are become 
judges of evil thoughts? 

5 Hearken, my beloved bre- 
thren, a Hath not God chosen the 

alCo. 1. 25-23. 



is, that in doing this, they were not 
guided by just rules, but that they did 
it under the influence of improper 
4 thoughts.' They did it, not from be- 
nevolence ; not from a desire to do just- 
ice to all according to their moral cha- 
racter, but from that improper feeling 
which leads us to show honour to men 
on account of their external appearance, 
rather than their real worth. The 
wrong in the case was in their pre- 
suming to 'judge' these strangers at 
ail, as they practically did by making 
this distinction, and then by doing it 
under the influence of such an unjust 
rule of judgment. The sense is, that 
we have no right to form a decisive 
judgment of men on their first appear- 
ance, as we do when we treat one with 
respect and the other not ; and that 
when we make up our opinion in re- 
gard to them it should be by some 
other means of judging than the ques- 
tion whether they can wear gold rings, 
and dress well, or not. Beza and Dod- 
dridge render this, < ye become judges 
who reason ill.' 

5. Hearken, my beloved brethren. 
The apostle now proceeds to show that 
the rich as such had no special claim on 
their favour, and that the poor in fact 
might be made more entitled to esteem 
than the^ were. For a view of the 
arguments by which he does this, com- 
pare the analysis of the chapter, % Hath 
not God chosen the poor of this world. 
Those who are poor so far as this world 
is concerned, or those who have not 
wealth. This is the first argument 
which the apostle suggests why the 
poor should not be treated with neglect. 
It is, that God has had special refer- 
ence to them in choosing those wh« 



44 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60 



poor of this world, rich °m faith, 
and heirs of 1 the kingdom 1 which 
he hath promised to them that 
love him ? 

a Re. 2. 9. * or, that. b Mat. 5. 3. 

Lu. 12. 32 ; 22. 29. 

should be his children. The meaning 
is not that he is not as willing to save 
the rich as the poor, for he has no par- 
tiality ; but that there are circumstances 
in the condition of the poor which 
make it more likely that they will em- 
brace the offers of the gospel than the 
rich ; and that in fact the great mass 
of believers is taken from those who 
are in comparatively humble life. Comp. 
Notes on 1 Cor. i. 26—28. The fact 
that God has chosen one to be an < hefr 
of the kingdom' is as good a reason now 
why he should not be treated with ne- 
glect, as it was in the times of the 
apostles. Rich in faith. Though 
poor in this world's goods, they are rich 
in a higher and more important sense. 
They have faith in God their Saviour ; 
and in this world of trial and of sin, 
that is a more valuable possession than 
piles of hoarded silver or gold. A man 
who has that is sure that he will have 
all that is truly needful for him in this 
world and the next ; a man who has it 
not, though he may have the wealth of 
Croesus, will be utterly without re- 
sources in respect to the great wants of 
his existence. 

"Givr what thou wilt, without thee we 
are poor ; 

And with thee rich, take what thou wilt 
away." 

Faith in God the Saviour will answer 
mere purposes, and accomplish more 
valuable ends for man, than the wealth 
of the Indies could, and this the poor 
may have as well as the rich. Comp. 
Rev. ii. 9. % And heirs of the king- 
dom, &c. Marg. that. Comp. Notes 
on Matth. v. 3. 

6. But ye have despised the poor. 
Koppe leads this as an interrogation. 
w Do ye despise the poor?''* Perhaps 



6 But ye have despised the 
poor. Do not rich men oppress 
you, and draw you before the 
judgment-seats ? 

7 Do they not blaspheme tha 



it might be understood somewhat ironi- 
cally : " You despise the poor, do you, 
and are disposed to honour the rich ! 
Look then and see how the rich treat 
you, and see whether you have so much 
occasion to regard them with any pecu- 
liar respect." The object of the apostle 
is to fix the attention on the impropriety 
of that partiality which many were 
disposed to show to the rich, by re- 
minding them that the rich had never 
evinced towards them any such treat- 
ment as to lay the foundation of a 
claim to the honour which they were 
disposed to render them, Do not 
rich men oppress you. Referring pro- 
bably to something in their conduct 
which existed particularly then. The 
meaning is not that they oppressed the 
poor as such, but that they oppressed 
those whom James addressed. It is 
probable that then, as since, a con- 
siderable portion of those who were 
Christians were in fact poor, and that 
this would have all the force of a per- 
sonal appeal ; but still the particular 
thought is, that it was a characteristic 
of the rich and the great, whom they 
were disposed peculiarly to honour, to 
oppress and crush the poor. The 
Greek here is very expressive: <Do 
they not imperiously lord it over you V 
The statement here will apply with too 
much force to the rich in every age. 
1 And draw you before the judgment- 
seats. That is, they are your perse- 
cutors rather than your friends. It was 
undoubtedly the case that many of nV 
rich were engaged in persecuting Chris 
tians, and that on various pretences 
they dragged them before the judicial 
tribunals. 

7. Do they not blaspheme that wor- 
thy name. This is another argument 



\. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



4f) 



'worthy name by the which yejshalt love thy neighbour as thy- 
are called? self, ye do well : 



8 If ye fulfil the royal law, 
according to the Scripture, b Thou 

aPs. 111. 9. bhe. 19. 18. 



to show that the rich had no special 
claim to the honour which they were 
disposed to show them. The ' worthy 
name' here referred to is, doubtless, the 
name of the Saviour. The thing here 
affirmed would, of course, accompany 
persecution. They who persecuted 
Christians would revile the name which 
they bore. This has always occurred. 
But besides this, it is no improbable 
supposition that many of those who 
were not disposed to engage in open 
persecution, would revile the name of 
Christ, by speaking contemptuously of 
him and his religion. This has been 
sufficiently common in every age of the 
world, to make the description here not 
improper. And yet, nothing has been 
more remarkable than the very thing 
adverted to here by James, that not- 
withstanding this, many who profess to 
be Christians have been more disposed 
to treat even such persons with respect 
and attention than they have their own 
brethren, if they were poor; that they 
have cultivated the favour, sought the 
friendship, desired the smiles, aped the 
manners, and coveted the society of 
such persons, rather than the friend- 
ship and the favour of their poorer 
Christian brethren. Even though they 
are known to despise religion in their 
hearts, and not to be sparing of their 
words of reproach and scorn towards 
Christianity ; though they are known 
to be blasphemers, and to have the 
most thorough contempt for serious, 
spirtual religion, yet there is many a 
professing Christian who would pre- 
fer to be at a party given by such per. 
gons than at a prayer-meeting where 
their poorer brethren are assembled ; 
who would rather be known by the 
world to be the associates and friends 
of such persons than of those hum- 



9 But if ye have respect c to 
persons, ye commit sin and are 

c ver. 1. 



ble believers who can make no boast 
of rank or wealth, and who are looked 
down upon with contempt by the great 
and the gay. 

8. If ye fulfil the royal law. That 
is, the law which he immediately men- 
tions requiring us to love our neigh- 
bour as ourselves. It is called a ' royal 
law,' or kingly law, on account of its 
excellence or nobleness ; not because it 
is ordained by God as a king, but be- 
cause it has some such prominence and 
importance among other laws as a king 
has among other men ; that is, it is 
majestic, noble, worthy of veneration. 
It is a law which ought to govern and 
direct us in all our intercourse with 
men — as a king rules his subjects, 
f According to the Scripture, Thou 
shalt love thy neighbour as thyself 
Lev. xix. 18. Comp. Matt. xix. 19. 
See it explained by the Saviour, in the 
parable of the good Samaritan. Luke 
x. 25 — 37. In regard to its meaning, 
see Notes on Matt. xix. 19. J Ye do 
well. That is, « if you fairly comply 
with the spirit of this law, you do all 
that is required of you in regulating 
your intercourse with others. You are 
to regard all persons as your 4 neigh- 
bours,' and are to treat them according 
to their real worth ; you are not to be 
influenced in judging of them, or in 
your treatment of them, by their appa- 
rel, or their complexion, or the circum- 
stances of their birth, but by the fact 
that they are fellow-beings.' This is 
another reason why they should not 
show partiality in their treatment of 
others, for if, in the true sense, they 
regarded all others as « neighbours,' 
they would treat no one with neglect 
or contempt. 

9. But, if ye have respect to persons, 
ye commit sin. You transgress the 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60 



convinced of the law as trans- 
gressors. 

10 For whosoever shall keep 

plain law of God, and do wrong. See 
the references on ver. 1. IT And are 
convinced of the law as transgressors. 
Gr. 'By the law.' The word convinced 
is now used in a somewhat different 
sense from what it was formerly. It 
now commonly refers to the impression 
made on a man's mind by showing 
him the truth of a thing which before 
was doubted, or in respect to which the 
evidence was not clear. A man who 
doubted the truth of a report or a pro- 
position, may be convinced or satisfied 
of its truth ; a man who has done 
wrong, though he supposed he was 
doing what was proper, may be con- 
vinced of his error. So a man may be 
convinced that he is a sinner, though 
before he had no belief of it, and no 
concern about it ; and this may pro- 
duce in his mind the feeling which is 
technically known as conviction, pro- 
ducing deep distress and anguish. See 
Notes, John xvi. 8. Here, however, 
the word does not refer so much to the 
effect produced on the mind itself, as 
to the fact that the law would hold 
such a one to be guilty ; that is, the 
law pronounces what is done to be 
wrong* Whether they would be per- 
sonally convinced of it, and troubled 
about it as convicted sinners, would be 
a different question, and one to which 
the apostle does not refer ; for his ob- 
ject is not to show that they would be 
troubled about it, but to show that the 
law of God condemned this course, 
and would hold them to be guilty. 
The argument here is not from the 
personal distress which this course 
would produce in their own minds, but 
from the fact that the law of God con- 
demned it. 

10. For whosoever shall keep the 
whole law. All except the single point 
referred to. The apostle does not say 
that this in fact ever did occur, but he 



the whole law, and yet offend in 
one point, he a is guilty of all. 

a De. 27. 26. 

says that if it should, and yet a man 
should have failed in only one particu- 
lar, he must be judged to be guilty. 
The case supposed seems to be that of 
one who claimed that he had kept the 
whole law. The apostle says thai 
even if this should be admitted for the 
time to be true in all other respects, 
yet, if he had failed in any one parti- 
cular — in showing respect to persons, 
or in any thing else, he could not but 
be held to be a transgressor. The de- 
sign of this is to show the importance 
of yielding universal obedience, and to 
impress upon the mind a sense of the 
enormity of sin from the fact that the 
violation of any one precept is in fact 
an offence against the whole law of 
God. The whole law here means all 
the law of God ; all that he has re- 
quired ; all that he has given to regu- 
late us in our lives. And yet offend 
in one point. In one respect ; or shall 
violate any one of the commands in- 
cluded in the general word law* The 
word offend here, means properly to 
stumble, to fall; then to err, or fail in 
duty. See Notes on Matt. v. 29 ; xxvi. 
31. He is guilty of all. He is 
guilty of violating the law as a whole, 
or of violating the law of God as such ; 
he has rendered it impossible that he 
should be justified and saved by the 
law. This does not affirm that he is 
as guilty as if he had violated every 
law of God ; or that all sinners are of 
equal grade because all have violated 
some one or more of the laws of God' 
but the meaning is, that he is guilty oi 
violating the law of God as such ; he 
shows that he has not the true spirit 
of obedience ; he has exposed himself 
to the penalty of the law, and made it 
impossible now to be saved by it. His 
acts of obedience in other respects, n<? 
matter how many, will not screen him 
from the charge of being a violator of 



I 



A.D. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



47 



11 For 'he that s?id, a Do not 
commit adultery, said also, Do 
not kil\. Now if thou commit 
no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou 

*or, that law which said 
a Ex. 20. 13, 14. 



the law, or from its penalty. He must 
be held and treated as a transgressor 
for that offence, however upright he 
may be in other respects, and must 
meet the penalty of the law as certainly 
as though he had violated every com- 
mandment. One portion of the law 
is as much binding as another, and if 
a man violates anyone plain command- 
ment, he sets at nought the authority 
of God. This is a simple principle 
which is everywhere recognised, and 
the apostle means no more by it than 
occurs every day. A man who has 
stolen a horse is held to be a violator 
of the law, no matter in how many 
other respects he has kept it, and the 
law condemns him for it. He cannot 
plead his obedience to the law in other 
things as a reason why he should not 
be punished for this sin ; but how- 
ever upright he may have been in 
general, even though it may have been 
through a long life, the law holds him 
to be a transgressor, and condemns him. 
He is as really condemned, and as 
much thrown from the protection of 
law, as though he had violated every 
command. So of murder, arson, trea- 
son, or any other crime. The law 
judges a man for what he has done in 
this specific case, and he cannot plead 
in justification of it that he has been 
obedient in other things. It follows, 
therefore, that if a man has been guilty 
of violating the law of God in any one 
instance, or is not perfectly holy, he 
cannot be justified and saved by it, 
though he should have obeyed it in 
every other respect, any more than a 
man who has been guilty of murder 
can be saved from the gallows because 
he has, in other respects, been a good 



art become a transgressor of the 
law. 

12 So speak ye, and so do, as 
they that shall be judged by the 
law *of liberty. 

b c. 1. 25. 



citizen, a kind father, an honest neigh 
bour, or has been compassionate to the 
poor and the needy. He cannot plead 
his act of truth in one case as an offset 
to the sin of falsehood in another ; he 
cannot defend himself from the charge 
of dishonesty in one instance by the 
plea that he has been honest in an- 
other ; he cannot urge the fact that he 
has done a good thing as a reason why 
he should not be punished for a bad 
one. He must answer for the specific 
charge against him, and none of these 
other things can be an offset against 
this one act of wrong. Let it be re- 
marked, also, in respect to our being 
justified by obedience to the law, that 
no man can plead before God that he 
has kept ail his law except in one 
point. Who is there that has not, in 
spirit at least, broken each one of the 
ten commandments 1 The sentiment 
here expressed by James was not new 
with him. It was often expressed by 
the Jewish writers, and seems to have 
been an admitted principle among the 
Jews. See Wetstein, in loc, for ex- 
amples. 

11. For he that said, Do not commit 
adultery, said also, Do not kill. That 
is, these are parts of the same law of 
God, and one is as obligatory as the 
other. If, therefore, you violate either 
of these precepts, you transgress the 
law of God as such, and must be held 
to be guilty of violating it as a whole 
The penalty of the law will be incurred 
whatever precept you violate. 

1 2. So speak ye, and so do, as they 
that shall be judged by the law of 
liberty. On the phrase, * the law of 
liberty,' see Notes on ch. i. 25. Comp 
Notes on ch. iv. II. The meaning is 



»3 



13 For he * shall have judg- 
meLt without mercy, that hath 

aPr. "X. 13. Mat. 6. 15; 7. 1, 2. 



JAMES. [A.D. <>j. 

showed no mercy, and mere) 
! rejoiceth b against judgment. 

i or, glorieth. b Ps. 85. 10. 



that in all our conduct we are to act 
under the constant impression of the 
truth that we are soon to be brought 
into judgment, and that the law by 
which we are to be judged is that by 
which it is contemplated that we shall 
be set free from the dominion of sin. 
In the rule which God has laid down 
in his word, called « the law of liberty,' 
or the rule by which true freedom is 
to be secured, a system of religion is 
revealed by which it is designed that 
man shall be emancipated not only 
from one sin, but from all. Now, it 
is with reference to such a law that we 
sre to be judged ; that is, we shall not 
Lv5 able to plead on our trial that we 
were under a necessity of sinning, but 
we shall be judged under that law by 
which the arrangement was made that 
we might be free from sin. If we 
might be free from sin ; if an arrange- 
ment was made by which we could 
have led holy lives, then it will be 
proper that we shall be judged and 
condemned if we are not righteous. 
The sense is, < In all your conduct, 
whatever you do or say, remember that 
you are to be judged, or that you are to 
give an impartial account ; and remem- 
ber also that the rule by which you 
are to be judged is that by which pro- 
vision is made for being delivered from 
the dominion of sin, and brought into 
the freedom of the gospel/ The argu- 
ment here seems to be, that he who 
habitually feels that he is soon to be 
judged by a law under which it was 
contemplated that he might be, and 
should be, free from the bondage of 
gin, has one of the strongest of all in- 
ducements to lead a holy life. 

13. For he shall have judgment 
without mercy, that hath showed no 
merry. This is obviously an equitable 
principle, ai d is one which is every- 



where found in the Bible. Prov. xxi 
13. " Whoso stoppeth his ears at the 
cry of the poor, he also shall cry him- 
self, but will not be heard." 2 Sam. 
xxii. 26, 27. « With the merciful thou 
wilt show thyself merciful, and with 
the froward thou wilt show thyself un- 
savoury." Comp. Ps. xviii. 25, 26. 
Matt. vi. 15 ; vii. 1, 2. The idea 
which the apostle seems to design to 
convey here is, that there will certainly 
be a judgment, and that we must ex- 
pect that it will be conducted on equi- 
table principles ; that no mercy is to be 
shown when the character is not such 
that it will be proper that it should be ; 
and that we should habitually feel in 
our conduct that God will be impartial 
and should frame our lives accordingly. 
\ And mercy rejoiceth against judg- 
ment. Marg. glorieth. Gr. Boasts, 
glories, or exults. The idea is that of 
glorying over, as where one is superior 
to another, or has gained a victory ovei 
another. The reference all along hert 
is to the judgment, the trial of the 
great day ; and the apostle is stating 
the principles on which the trial at 
that day will be conducted— on which 
one class shall be condemned, and the 
other acquitted and saved. In refer- 
ence to one class, the wicked, he says 
that where there has been no mercy 
shown to others — referring to this as 
one evidence of piety— that is, where 
there is no true piety, there will be 
judgment without mercy ; in the other 
case there will be, as it were, a triumph 
of mercy ; or mercy will appear to 
have gained a victory over judgment. 
Strict justice would indeed plead foi 
their condemnation, but the attribute 
of mercy will triumph, and they will 
be acquitted. The attributes of mercy 
and justice would seem to come in 
conflict, but mercy would prevail. This 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



49 



14 What a dolh it profit, my 
brethren, though a man say he 

a Mat. 7. 25. 

is a true statement of the plan of salva- 
tion, and of what actually occurs in the 
redemption of a sinner. Justice de- 
mands, as what is her due, that the 
sinner should be condemned; mercy 
pleads that he may be saved — and 
mercy prevails. It is not uncommon 
that there seems to be a conflict be- 
tween the two. In the dispensations 
of justice before human tribunals, this 
often occurs. Strict justice demands 
the punishment of the offender; and 
yet there are cases when mercy pleads, 
and when every man feels that it would 
be desirable that pardon should be ex- 
tended to the guilty, and when we 
always rejoice if mercy triumphs. In 
such a case, for example, as that of 
Major Andre, this is strikingly seen. 
On the one hand, there was the un- 
doubted proof that he was guilty ; that 
he had been taken as a spy ; that by the 
laws of war he ought to be put to death ; 
that as what he had done had tended 
to the ruin of the American cause, and 
rs such an act, if unpunished, would 
always expose an army to surprise and 
destruction, he ought, in accordance 
with the law of nations, to die. On 
the other hand, there were his youth, 
his high attainments, his honourable 
connections, his brilliant hopes, all 
pleading that he might live, and that 
he might be pardoned. In the bosom 
of Washington, the promptings of jus- 
tice and mercy thus came into collision. 
Both could not be gratified, and there 
seemed to be but one course to be pur- 
sued. His sense of justice was shown 
in the act by which he signed the 
death-warrant; his feelings of compas- 
sion in the fact that when he did it his 
eyes poured forth a flood of tears. How 
every generous feeling of our nature 
would have been gratified if mercy 
could have triumphed, and the youth- 
ful and accomplished officer could have 
5 



hath faith, and have not works'? 
Can faith save him? 



been spared ! In the plan of salvation, 
this does occur. Respect is done to 
justice, but mercy triumphs. Justice 
indeed pleaded for the condemnation 
of the sinner, but mercy interposed, 
and he is saved. Justice is not dis- 
regarded, for the Great Redeemer of 
mankind has done all that is needful 
to uphold it ; but there is the most 
free and full exercise of mercy, and, 
while the justice of God is main- 
tained, every benevolent feeling in the 
breasts of all holy beings can be gra- 
tified in the salvation of countless 
thousands. 

14. What doth it profit, my brethren, 
though a man say he hath faith? The 
apostle here returns to the subject ad- 
verted to in ch. i. 22 — 27, the import- 
ance of a practical attention to the 
duties of religion, and the assurance 
that men cannot be saved by a mere 
speculative opinion, or merely by hold- 
ing correct sentiments. He doubtless 
had in his eye those who abused the 
doctrine of justification by faith, by 
holding that good works are unneces- 
sary to salvation, provided they main- 
tain an orthodox belief. As this abuse 
probably existed in the time of the 
apostles, and as the Holy Ghost saw 
that there would be danger that in 
later times the great and glorious doc- 
trine of justification by faith would be 
thus abused, it was important that the 
error should be rebuked, and that the 
doctrine should be distinctly laid down 
that good works are necessary to sal- 
vation. The apostle, therefore, in the 
question before us, implicitly asserts 
that faith would not 'profit' at all un- 
less accompanied with a holy life, and 
this doctrine he proceeds to illustrate 
in the following verses. See the analysis 
of the chapter, III, and Intro. § 5, (2). 
In order to a proper interpretation of 
this passage it should be observed that 



50 



JAMES. 



[A, i). 60 



15 Ii a brother or sister be 
naked, and destitute of daily 
food, 

16 And one of you say unto 
them, Depart in peace, be you 
warmed and filled ; notwithstand- 



the stand-point from which the apostle 
views this subject is not before a man 
is converted, inquiring in what way he 
may be justified before God, or on 
what ground his sins may be forgiven, 
but it is after a man is converted, 
showing that that faith can have no 
value which is not followed by good 
works ; that is, that it is not real faith, 
and that good works are necessary if a 
man would have evidence that he is 
justified. Thus understood, all that 
James says is in entire accordance with 
what is taught elsewhere in the New 
Testament. ^ Can faith save him P 
It is implied in this question that faith 
cannot save him, for very often the 
most emphatic way of making an affir- 
mation is by asking a question. The 
meaning here is, that that faith which 
does not produce good works, or which 
would not produce holy living if fairly 
acted out, will save no man, for it is 
not genuine faith. 

15, 16, 17. Jf a brother or sister be 
naked, &c. The comparison in these 
verses is very obvious and striking. 
The sense is, that faith in itself, with- 
out the acts that correspond to it, and 
to which it would prompt, is as cold, 
and heartless, and unmeaning, and 
useless, as it would be to say to one 
who was destitute of the necessaries 
of life, « depart in peace.' In itself 
considered, it might seem to have some- 
thing that was good ; but it would an- 
swer none of the purposes of faith 
unless it should prompt to action. In 
the case of one who was hungry or 
naked, what he wanted was not good 
wishes or kind words merely, but the 
acts to which good wishes and kind 
words prompt And so in religion, 



ing ye give them not those things 
which are needful to the body; 
what a doih it profit? 

17 Even so faith, if it hath 
not works, is dead, being 1 alone. 

a 1 Jno. 3. 18. * by itself. 

what is wanted is not merely the ab- 
stract state of mind which vvculd be 
indicated by faith, but the life of good- 
ness to which it ought to lead. Good 
wishes and kind words, in order to 
make them what they should be for 
the wejfare of the world, should be ac- 
companied with corresponding action. 
So it is with faith. It is not enough 
for salvation without the benevolent 
and holy acts to which it would prompt, 
any more than the good wishes and 
kind words of the benevolent are 
enough to satisfy the wants of the 
hungry, and to clothe the naked, 
without correspondent action. Faith 
is not, and cannot be shown to be 
genuine, unless it is accompanied with 
corresponding acts, as our good wishes 
for the poor and needy can be shown 
to be genuine, when we have the 
means of aiding them, only by actu- 
ally ministering to their necessities. In 
the one case, our wishes would be 
shown to be unmeaning and heartless; 
in the other, our faith would be equally 
so. In regard to this passage, there- 
fore, it may be observed (1) that in 
fact faith is of no more value, and haa 
no more evidence of genuineness when 
it is unaccompanied with good works, 
than such empty wishes for the welfare 
of the poor would be when unaccom- 
panied with the means of relieving 
their wants. Faith is designed to lead 
to good works. It is intended to pro- 
duce a holy life; a life of activity in 
the service of the Saviour. This is its 
very essence ; it is what it always pro- 
duces when it is genuine. Religion is 
not designed to be a cold abstraction • 
it is to be a living and vivifying prin 
ciple. (2) There is a great deal of 



A. D. 60.] CHAPTER IL 51 

18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works : 



that kindness and chanty in the world 
which is expressed by mere good 
wishes. If we really have not the 
means of relieving the poor and the 
needy, then the expression of a kind 
wish may be in itself an alleviation to 
their, sorrows, for even sympathy in 
such a case is of value, and it is much 
to us to know that others feel for us ; 
but if we have the means and the object 
is a worthy one, then such expressions 
are mere mockery, and aggravate rather 
than soothe the feelings of the sufferer. 
Such wishes will neither clothe nor 
feed them ; and they will only make 
deeper the sorrows which we ought to 
heal. But how much of this is there 
in the world, when the sufferer cannot 
but feel that all these wishes, however 
kindly expressed, are hollow and false, 
and when he cannot but feel that relief 
would be easy ! (3) In like manner 
there is much of this same kind of 
worthless faith in the world — faith that 
is dead; faith that produces no good 
works; faith that exerts no practical 
influence whatever on the life. The 
individual professes indeed to believe 
the truths of the gospel ; he may be in 
the church of Christ ; he would esteem 
it a gross calumny to be spoken of as 
an infidel : but as to any influence 
tvhich his faith exerts over him, his 
life would be the same if he had never 
"heard of the gospel. There is not one 
of the truths of religion which is bodied 
forth in his life ; not a deed to which 
he is prompted by religion ; not an act 
which could not be accounted for on 
fie supposition that he has no true 
p'ety. In such a case, faith may with 
piopriety be said to be dead, f Being 
aline. Marg., by itself The sense is, 
* being by itself ;' that is, destitute of any 
accompanying fruits or results, it shows 
that it is dead. That which is alive 
bodies itself forth, produces effects, 
makes itself visible ; that which is dead 



produces no effect, and is as if it were 
not. 

18. Yea, a man may say, &c. The 
word which is rendered « yea? ('Axx') 
would be better rendered by but. The 
apostle designs to introduce an objec- 
tion, not to make an affirmation. The 
sense is, < some one might say,' or, « to 
this it might be urged in reply.' That 
is, it might perhaps be said that religion 
is not always manifested in the same 
way, or we should not suppose that, 
because it is not always exhibited in 
the same form, it does not exist. One 
man may manifest it in one way, and 
another in another, and still both have 
true piety. One may be distinguished 
for his faith, and another for his works, 
and both may have real religion. Thb 
objection would certainly have some 
plausibility, and it was important to 
meet it. It would seem that all reli- 
gion was not to be manifested in the 
same way, as all virtue is not; and 
that it might occur that one man might 
be particularly eminent for one form 
of religion, and another for another ; 
as one man may be distinguished for 
zeal, and another for meekness, and 
another for integrity, and another for 
truth, and another for his gifts in 
prayer, and another for his large-hearted 
benevolence. To this the apostle re- 
plies, that the two things referred to, 
faith and works, were not independent 
things which could exist separately, 
without the one materially influencing 
another, as, for example, charity and 
chastity, zeal and meekness, but that 
the one was the germ or source of the 
other ; and that the existence of the 
one was to be known only by its de- 
veloping itself in the form of the other. 
A man could not show that he possessed 
the one unless it developed itself in the 
form of the other. In proof of this, 
he could boldly appeal to any one to 
show a case where faith existed with 



62 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60. 



show me thy faith 1 without thy 
works, and I °will show thee my 
faith by my works. 

1 some copies read, by. a c. 3. 13. 



out works. He was himself willing to 
submit to this just trial in regard to 
this point, and to demonstrate the ex- 
istence of his own faith by his works. 
% Thou hast faith, and I have works. 
You have one form or manifestation of 
religion in an eminent or prominent 
degree, and I have another. You are 
characterized particularly for one of the 
virtues of religion, and I am for an- 
other, as one man may be particularly 
eminent for meekness, and another for 
zeal, and another for benevolence, and 
each be a virtuous man. The expres- 
sion here is equivalent to saying, « One 
may have faith, and another works.' 
% Show me thy faith without thy 
works. That is, you who maintain 
that faith is enough to prove the exist- 
ence of religion ; that a man may be 
justified and saved by that alone, or 
where it does not develope itself in 
holy living; or that all that is neces- 
sary in order to be saved is merely to 
believe. Let the reality of any such 
faith as that be shown, if it can be ; 
let any real faith be shown to exist 
without a life of good works, and the 
point will be settled. 1, says the apos- 
tle, will undertake to exhibit the evi- 
dence of my faith in a different way, 
in a way about which there can be no 
doubt, and which is the appropriate 
method. It is clear, if the common 
reading here is correct, that the apostle 
meant to deny that true faith could be 
evinced without appropriate works. It 
should be said, however, that there is 
a difference of reading here of con- 
siderable importance. Many manu- 
scripts and printed editions of the New 
Testament, instead of without [works] 
(gup*?) reau " from or by (ix), as in the 
other part of the verse, < show me thy 
faith by thy works, and I will show 



19 Thou believest that there 
is one God ; thou doest well : the 
devils b also believe, and tremble. 

3 Mar. 1. 24 ; 5. 7. 



thee my faith by my works.' This 
reading is found in Walton, Wetstein, 
Mill, and in the received text general- 
ly ; the other [without] is found in 
many MSS., and in the Vulgate, Sy- 
riac, Coptic, English, and Armenian 
versions, and is adopted by Beza, 
Castalio, Grotius, Bengel, Hammond, 
Whitby, Drusius, Griesbach, Tittman, 
and Hahn, and is now commonly re- 
ceived as the correct reading. It may 
be added that this reading seems to be 
demanded by the similar reading in 
ver. 20 : " But wilt thou know that 
faith without works (#«pt$ tfuw epywv) 
is dead," evidently implying that some- 
thing had been said before about « faith 
without works.' This reading, also, is 
so natural, and makes so good sense in 
the connection, that it would seem to 
be demanded. Doddridge felt the dif- 
ficulty in the other reading, and has 
given a version of the passage which 
showed his great perplexity, and which 
is one of the most unhappy that he 
ever made. ^ And 1 will show thee 
my faith by my works. I will furnish 
in this way the best and most certain 
proof of the existence of faith. It is 
implied here that true faith is adapted 
to lead to a holy life, and that such a 
life would be the appropriate evidence 
of the existence of faith. By their 
fruits the principles held by men are 
known. Notes on Matth. vii. 16. 

19. Thou believest that there is one 
God. One of the great and cardinal 
doctrines of religion is here selected as 
an illustration of all. The design of 
the apostle seems to have been to select 
one of the doa&rines f religion, the 
belief of which would— if mere belief 
in any doctrine could — save the soul ; 
and to show that even this might be 
held as an article of faith by those who 



A. D. GO.] 



CHAPTER II. 



53 



could be supposed by no one to have 
any claim to the name of Christian. 
He selects, therefore, the great funda- 
mental doctrine of ail religion, — the 
doctrine of the existence of one Su- 
preme Being, — and shows that if even 
this were held in such a way as it might 
be, and as it was held by devils, it could 
not save men. The apostle here is not 
to be supposed to be addressing such an 
one as Paul, who held to the doctrine 
that we are justified by faith ; nor is he 
to be supposed to be combating the 
doctrine of Paul, as some have main- 
tained (see the Intro.) ; but he is to be 
regarded as addressing one who held, 
in the broadest and most unqualified 
sense, that provided there was faith, a 
man would be saved. To this he re- 
plies, that even the devils might have 
faith of a certain sort, and faith that 
would produce sensible effects on them 
of a certain kind, and still it could not 
be supposed that they had true religion, 
or that they would be saved. Why 
might not the same thing occur in re- 
gard to man ? ^ Thou doest welL So 
far as this is concerned, or so far as it 
goes. It is a doctrine which ought to 
be held, for it is one of the great funda- 
mental truths of religion. % The devils. 
The demons — cot/iovta. There is 
properly but one being spoken of in the 
New Testament as the devil — 6 &a,3o- 
Xoj, and' 6 Xatav — though demons are 
frequently spoken of in the plural num- 
ber. They are represented as evil spi- 
rits, subject to Satan, or under his con- 
trol, and engaged with him in carrying 
out his plans of wickedness. These 
spirits or demons were supposed to 
wander in desert and desolate places 
(Matth. xii. 43), or to dwell in the at- 
mosphere (Notes, Eph. ii. 2) ; they 
were thought to have the power of 
working miracles, but not for good 
(Rev. xvi. 14. Comp. John x.. 21); 
to be hostile to mankind (John viii. 
MO; to utter the heathen oracles (Acts 
xvi. 17) ; to lurk in the idols of the 
heathen (1 Cor. x. 20) ; and to take up 
5* 



their abodes in the bodies of men, af- 
flicting them with various kinds of dis 
eases. Matth. vii. 22 ; ix. 34 ; x. 8 
xvii. 18. Mark vii. 29, 30. Luke iv 
33 ; viii. 27, 30, et sspe. It is of these 
evil spirits that the apostle speaks when 
he says that they believe, f Ako be- 
lieve. That is, particularly, they believe 
in the existence of the one God, How 
far their knowledge may extend re- 
specting God, we cannot know ; but 
they are never represented in the Scrip- 
tures as denying his existence, or as 
doubting the great truths of religion. 
They are never described as atheists. 
That is a sin of this world only. They 
are not represented as sceptics. That 
too is a peculiar sin of the earth ; and 
probably, in all the universe besides, 
there are no beings but those who dwell 
on this globe, who doubt or deny the 
existence of God, or the other great 
truths of religion. % And tremble. The 
word here used (^p^orco) occurs no- 
where else in the New Testament. It 
means properly to be rough, uneven, 
j a egy> sc., with bristling hair ; to bris- 
tle, to stand on end, as the hair does 
in a fright; and then to shudder or 
quake with fear, &c. Here the mean- 
ing is, that there was much more in 
the case referred to than mere specula- 
tive faith. There was a faith that pro- 
duced some effect, and an effect of a 
very decided character. It did not, in- 
deed, produce good works, or a holy 
life, but it made it manifest that there 
was faith; and, consequently, it fol- 
lowed that the existence of mere faith 
was not all that was necessary to save 
men. or to make it certain that they 
would be secure, unless it were held 
that the devils would be justified and 
saved by it. If they might hold such 
faith, and stiil remain in perdition, men 
might hold it, and go to perdition. A 
man should not infer, therefore, because 
he has faith, even that faith in God 
which will fill him with alarm, that 
therefore he is safe. He must have a 
faith which will produce another effed 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60 



20 But wilt thou know, O 
vain man, that faith without 
works is dead? 

21 Was not Abraham our fa- 
altogether — that which will lead to a 
holy life. 

20. But wilt thou know. Will yon 
have a full demonstration of it; will 
you have the clearest proof in the case. 
The apostle evidently felt that the in- 
stances to which he was about to refer, 
those of Abraham and Rahab, were de- 
cisive. ^ O vain man. The reference 
by this language is to a man who held 
an opinion that could not be defended. 
The word vain here used (xsvof) means 
properly empty, as opposed to full — as 
empty hands, having nothing in them ; 
then fruitless, or without utility or suc- 
cess ; then false, fallacious. The mean- 
ing here properly would be « empty,' in 
the sense of being void of understand- 
ing, and this would be a mild and gen- 
tle way of saying of one that he was 
foolish^ or that he maintained an argu- 
ment that was without sense. James 
means, doubtless, to represent it as a 
perfectly plain matter, a matter about 
which no man of sense could have 
any reasonable doubt. If we must 
call a man foolish, as is sometimes ne- 
cessary, let us use as mild and inoffen- 
sive a term as possible — a term which, 
while it will convey our meaning, will 
not unnecessarily wound and irritate. 

That faith without works is dead. 
That the faith which does not produce 
good works is useless in the matter of 
salvation. He does not mean to say 
that it would produce no effect, for in 
the case of the demons it did produce 
trembling and alarm ; but that it would 
be valueless in the matter of salvation. 
The faith of Abraham and of Rahab 
was entirely different from this. 

21. Was not Abraham our father. 
*)ur progenitor, our ancestor, using the 
word, father, as frequently occurs in 
,the Bible, to denote a remote ancestor. 
Comp. Notes on Matth. i. 1. A refer- 



ther justified by works, when a he 
had offered Isaac his son upon 
the altar? 

a Ge. 22. 9, 12. 

ence to his case would have grea 
weight with those who were Jews by 
birth, and probably most of those tc 
whom this epistle was addressed were 
of this character. See the Intro, f Jus 
tified by works. That is, in the sens* 
in which James is maintaining that a 
man professing religion is to be justified 
by his works. He does not affirm that 
the ground of acceptance with God is 
that we keep the law, or are perfect; 
or that our good works make an atone- 
ment for our sins, and that it is on their 
account that we are pardoned ; no? 
does he deny that it is necessary that a 
man should believe in order to be saved. 
In this sense, he does not deny that 
men are justified by faith ; and thus 
he does not contradict the doctrine of 
the apostle Paul. But he does teach 
that where there are no good works, or 
where there is not a holy life, there is 
no true religion ; that that faith which 
is not productive of good works is of 
no value ; that if a man has that faith 
only it would be impossible that he 
could be regarded as justified, or could 
be saved ; and that consequently, in 
that large sense, a man is justified by 
his works ; that is, they are the evidence 
that he is a justified man, or is regarded 
and treated as righteous by his Maker. 
The point on which the apostle has his 
eye is the nature of saving faith ; and 
his design is to show that a mere faith 
which would produce no more effect 
than that of the demons did, could not 
save. In this he states no doctrine which 
contradicts that of Paul. The evidence 
to which he appeals in regard to faith, 
is good works and a holy life; and 
where that exists it shows that the faith 
is genuine. The case of Abraham is 
one directly in point. He showed that 
he had that kind of faith which was 
not dead. He gave the most affecting 



;4. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



22 'Seest thou how faith a 

i or, TJlou scest. a He. 11. 17. 



evidence that his faith was of such a 
kind as to lead him to implicit obe- 
dience, and to painful sacrifices. Such 
an act as that referred to, the act of 
offering up his son, demonstrated, if 
any thing could, that his faith was ge- 
nuine, and that his religion was deep 
and pure. In the sight of heaven and 
earth it would justify him as a right- 
eous man, or would prove that he was 
a righteous man. In regard to the 
strength of his faith, and the nature of 
his obedience in this sacrifice, see Notes 
on Heb. xi. 19. That the apostle here 
cannot refer to the act of justification 
as the term is commonly understood, 
referring by that to the moment when 
he was accepted of God as a righteous 
man, is clear from the fact that in a 
passage of the Scriptures which he 
himself quotes, that is declared to be 
consequent on his believing : < Abraham 
believed God, and it was imputed unto 
him for righteousness.' The act here 
referred to occurred long subsequent to 
that, and was thus a fulfilment or con- 
firmation of the declaration of Scripture, 
which says that « he believed God/ It 
showed that his faith was not merely 
speculative, but was an active principle 
leading to holy living. See Notes on ver. 
23. This demonstrates that what the 
apostle refers to here is the evidence by 
which it is shown that a man's faith is 
genuine, and that he does not refer to 
the question whether the act of justifi- 
cation, where a sinner is corfverted, is 
solely in consequence of believing. 
Thus the case proves what James pur- 
poses to prove, that the faith which 
justifies is only that which leads to 
good works, ^ When he had offered 
Isaac his son on the altar. This was 
long after he believed, and was an act 
which, if any could, would show that 
his faith was genuine and sincere. On 
the meaning of this passage, see Notes 
on Heb. xi. 17. 



wrought with his works, and by 
works was faith made perfect? 

22. Seest thou. Marg. Thou scest. 
Either rendering is correct, and the 
sense is the same. The apostle means 
to say that this was so plain that they 
could not but see it. f How faith 
wrought with his works {pwrfiyzi)* 
Co-operated with. The meaning of 
the word is, to work together with any 
one; to co-operate (1 Cor. xvi. 16. 2 Cor. 
vi. 1) ; then to aid, or help (Mark xvi. 
20) ; to contribute to the production 
of any result, where two or more per- 
sons or agents are united. Comp. Rom. 
viii. 28. The idea here is, that the 
result in the case of Abraham, that is, 
his salvation, or his religion, was 
secured, not by one of these things 
alone, but that both contributed to it. 
The result which was reached, to wit, 
his acceptance with God, could not 
have been obtained by either one of 
them separately, but both, in some 
sense, entered into it. The apostle 
does not say that, in regard to the 
merit which justifies, they came in for 
an equal share, for he makes no affir- 
mation on that point ; he does not 
deny that in the sight of God, who 
foresees and knows all things, he was 
regarded as a justified man the mo- 
ment he believed, but he looks at the 
result as it was, at Abraham as he 
appeared under the trial of his faith, 
and says that in that result there was 
to be seen the co-operation of faith and 
good works. Both contributed to the 
end, as they do now in all cases where 
there is true religion. ^ And by works 
was faith made perfect. Made com 
plete, finished, or entire. It was so 
carried out as to show its legitimate 
and fair results. This does not mean 
that the faith in itself was defective 
before this, and that the defect was 
remedied by good works ; or that there 
is any deficiency in what the right 
kind of faith can do in the matter of 
justification, which is to be helped out 



50 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60, 



23 And the Scripture was 
fulfilled which saith, a Abraham 
believed God, and it was imputed 

tfGe, 15. 6. 

by good works ; but that there was 
that kind of completion which a thing 
has when it is fully developed, or is 
fairly carried out. 

23. And the Scripture was fulfilled 
which saith. That is, the fair and full 
meaning of the language of Scripture 
was expressed by this act, showing in 
the highest sense that his faith was 
genuine, or the declaration that he 
truly believed, was confirmed or esta- 
blished by this act. His faith was 
shown to be genuine, and the fair 
meaning of the declaration that he 
believed God was carried out in the 
subsequent act. The passage here re- 
ferred to occurs in Gen. xv. 6. That 
which it is said Abraham believed, or 
in which he believed God, was this: 
4 This shall not be thine heir (viz. 
Eliezerof Damascus), but he that shall 
come forth out of thine own bowels, 
shall be thine heir.' And again, « Look 
now toward heaven, and tell the 
stars, if thou be able to number them. 
And he said unto him, So shall thy 
seed be.' vs. 3 — 5. The act of con- 
fiding in these promises, was that act 
of which it is said that 1 he believed 
in the Lord ; and he counted it 
to him for righteousness.' The act 
of offering his son on the altar, by 
which James says this Scripture was 
fulfilled, occurred some twenty years 
afterwards. That act confirmed or 
fulfilled the declaration, it showed 
that his faith was genuine, and that 
the declaration that he believed in God 
was true ; for what could do more to 
confirm that than a readiness to offer 
his own son at the command of God 1 
It cannot be supposed that James meant 
to say that Abraham was justified by 
'j)orks without respect to faith, or to 
leny that the primary ground of his 
justification in the sight of God was 



unto him for righteousness : and 
he was called "the friend of God. 
24 Ye see then how that by 

&2Ch. 20. 7. Is. 41. 8. 

faith, for the very passage which he 
quotes shows that faith was the pri- 
mary consideration: 4 Abraham be- 
lieved God, and it was imputed,' &c. 
The meaning, therefore, can only be, 
that this declaration received its fair and 
full expression when Abraham, by an 
act of obedience of the most striking 
character, long after he first exercised 
that faith by which he was accepted of 
God, showed that his faith was genuine. 
If he had not thus obeyed, his faith 
would have been inoperative and of no 
value. As it was, his act showed that 
the declaration of the Scripture that he 
4 believed' was well founded. ^ Abra- 
ham believed God, and 7 was imputed, 
&c. See this passage Hilly explained 
in the Notes on Rom. iv. 3. IT And 
he was called the Friend of God. In 
virtue of his strong faith and obedience. 
See 2 Chron. xx. 7. "Art not thou 
our God, who did.it drive out the in- 
habitants of this land before thy people 
Israel, and gavest it to the seed of 
Abraham thy friend forever?" Isa. 
xli. 8. "But thou, Israel, art my ser* 
vant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the 
seed of Abraham my friend" Th;s 
was a most honourable appellation ; 
but it is one which, in all cases, will 
result from true faith and obedience. 

24. Ye see then. From the cours& 
of reasoning pursued, and the example 
referred* to. *J How that by works a 
man is justified, and not by faith only. 
Not by a cold, abstract, inoperative faith. 
It must be by a faith that shall produce 
good works, and whose existence will 
be shown to men by good works. A% 
justification takes place in the sight of 
God, it is by faith, for he sees that the 
faith is genuine, and that it will pro- 
duce good works if the individual 
who exercises faith shall live, and he 
justifies men in view of that faith, and 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



57 



works a a man is justified, and 
not by faith only. 

25* Likewise also was not 
Rahab ^the harlot justified by 
works, when she had received 

eEe. 20. 12. Z> Jos. 2. 1, &c. He. 11.31. 

cMat. 21. 31. 

of no other. If he sees that the faith 
is merely speculative ; that it is cold and 
dead, and would not produce good 
works, the man is not justified in his 
sight. As a matter of fact, therefore, 
it is only the faith that produces good 
works that justifies; and good works, 
therefore, as the proper expression of 
the nature of faith, foreseen by God as 
the certain result of faith, and actually 
performed as seen by men, are neces- 
sary in order to justification. In other 
words, no man will be justified who 
has not a faith which will produce 
good works, and which is of an opera- 
tive and practical character. The 
ground of justification in the case is 
faith, and that only ; the evidence of it, 
the carrying it out, the proof, of the 
existence of the faith, is good works ; 
and thus men are justified and saved 
not by mere abstract and cold faith, 
but by a faith necessarily connecOl 
with good works, and where good 
works perform an important part. 
James, therefore, does not contradict 
Paul, but he contradicts a false ex- 
planation of Paul's doctrine. He does 
not deny that a man is justified in the 
sight of God by faith, for the very pas- 
sage which he quotes shows that he 
believes that ; but he does deny that a 
man is justified by a faith which would 
not produce good works, and w T hich is 
not expressed by good works ; and thus 
he maintains, as Paul always did, that 
nothing else than a holy life can show 
Shat a man is a true Christian, and is 
accepted of God. 

25. Likewise also was not Rahab 
the harlot justified by works. In the 
same sense in which Abraham was, as 



the messengers, and had seal 
them out another way? 

26 For as the body without 
the 1 spirit is dead, so faith with- 
out works is dead also. 

lor, breath. 

explained above, showing by her aM 
that her faith was genuine, and that it 
was not a mere cold and -speculative 
assent to the truths of religion. He? 
act showed that she truly believed God, 
If that act had not been performed, the 
fact would have shown that her faith 
was not genuine, and she could not 
have been justified. God saw her faith 
as it was ; he saw that it would pro- 
duce acts of obedience, and he accepted 
her as righteous. The act which shs 
performed was the public manifestation 
of her faith, the evidence that she wa-a 
justified. See the case of Rahab fully 
explained in the Notes on Heb. xi. 31. 
It may be observed here that we are 
not to suppose that every thing in the 
life and character of this woman i3 
commended. She is commended for 
her faith, and for the fair expression 
of it ; a faith which, as it induced 
her to receive the messengers of the 
true God, and to send them forth in 
peace, and as it led her to identify 
herself with the people of God, was 
also influential, we have every reason 
to suppose, in inducing her to abandon 
her former course of life. When we 
commend the faith of a man who has 
been a profane swearer, or an adulterer, 
or a robber, or a drunkard, we do not 
commend his former life, or give a 
sanction to it. "We commend that 
which has induced him to abandon his 
evil course, and to turn to the ways of 
righteousness. The more evil his for- 
mer course has been, the more wonder- 
ful, and the more worthy of commen- 
dation, is that faith by which he is 
reformed and saved. 

26. *V" **? the body without thi 



JAMES. 



[A.D. 60. 



ipii u is ( ~ad. Marg. breath. The 
GreeA wok 7ivsvfxa is commonly used 
to denote <. ririt or soul, as referring to 
the intelL jent nature. The meaning 
uere is tb? obvious one, that the body 
is animated or kept alive by the pre- 
sence of the soul, and that when that 
is withdrawn, hope departs. The body 
has nc life independent of the presence 
of tt© soul. Tf So faith without works 
is dead also. There is as much ne- 
cessity that faith and works should be 
united to constitute true religion, as 
there is that the body and soul should 
bo united to constitute a living man. 
f ' good works do not follow, it is clear 

jat there is no true and proper faith; 

lone that justifies and saves. If faith 
produces no fruit of good living, that 
fact proves that it is dead, that it has 
no power, and that it is of no value. 
This shows that James was not argu- 
ing against real and genuine faith, nor 
against its importance in justification, 
but against the supposition that mere 
faith was all that was necessary to save 
a man, whether it was accompanied by 
good works or not. He maintains that 
if there is genuine faith it will always 
be accompanied by good works, and 
that it is only that faith which can 
justify and save. If it leads to no 
practical holiness of life, it is like the 
body without the soul, and is of no 
value whatever. James and Paul both 
agree in the necessity of true faith in 
order to salvation ; they both agree 
that the tendency of true faith is to 
produce a holy life ; they both agree 
that where there is not a holy life there 
is no true religion, and that a man 
cannot be saved. We may learn then 
from the whole doctrine of the New 
Testament on the subject, that unless 
we believe in the Lord Jesus we can- 
not be justified before God ; and that 
unless our faith is of that kind which 
will produce holy living, it has no more 
of the characieristics of true religion 
than a dead body has of a living man. 



Reconciliation of Paul and James. 

At the close of the exposition of this 
chapter, it may be proper to make a few 
additional remarks on the question in 
what way the statements of James can 
be reconciled with those of Paul, on 
the subject of justification. A difficulty 
has always been felt to exist on the 
subject ; and there are, perhaps, no 
readers of the New Testament who are 
not perplexed with it. Infidels, and 
particularly Voltaire, have seized the 
occasion which they supposed they 
found here to sneer against the Scrip- 
tures, and to pronounce them to be 
contradictory. Luther felt ' the diffi- 
culty to be so great that, in the early 
part of his career, he regarded it as in- 
superable, and denied the inspiration 
of James, though he afterwards changed 
his opinion, and believed that his epistle 
was a part of the inspired canon ; and 
one of Luther's followers was so dis- 
pleased with the statements of James, 
as to charge him with wilful falsehood. 
Dr. Dwight's Theology, Serm. lxviit. 
The question is, whether their state- 
ments can be so reconciled, or can be 
shown to be so consistent with each 
#%T, that it is proper to regard them 
both as inspired men 1 Or, are their 
statements so opposite and contradict- 
ory, that it cannot be believed that both 
were under the influences of an infalli- 
ble Spirit] In order to answer these 
questions, there are two points to be 
considered : I. What the real difficulty 
is; and, II. How the statements of the 
two writers can be reconciled; or, whe- 
ther there is any way of explanation 
which will remove the difficulty. 

I. What the difficulty is. This re- 
lates to two points : that James seems 
to contradict Paul in express terms; 
and that both writers make use of the 
same case to illustrate their opposite 
sentiments. 

(1.) That James seems to contra- 
dict Paul in express terms. The doc 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



59 



trine of Paul on the subject of justifi- 
cation is stated in such language as the 
following: " By the deeds of the law 
there shall no flesh be justified in his 
sight." Rom. iii. 20. "We conclude 
that a man is justified by faith without 
*he deeds of the law." Rom. iii. 28. 
" Being justified by faith." Rom. v. 1. 
« Knowing that a man is not justified 
by the works of the law, but by the 
faith of Jesus Christ." Gal. ii. 16. 
Comp. Rom. iii. 24, 26. Gal. iii. 11. 
Titus iii. 5, 6. On the other hand, 
the statement of James seems to be 
equally explicit that a man is not jus- 
tified by faith only, but that good works 
come in for an important share in the 
matter. " Was not Abraham our fa- 
ther justified by works'!" ver. 21. 
" Seest thou how faith wrought with 
his works." ver. 22. "Ye see then 
how that by works a man is justified, 
and not by faith only." ver. 24. 

(2.) Both writers refer to the same 
case to illustrate their views — the case 
of Abraham. Thus Paul (Rom. iv. 1 
— 3) refers to it to prove that justifica- 
tion is wholly by faith. " For if Abra- 
ham were justified by works, he. hath 
whereof to glory ; but not before God. 
For what saith the Scripture 1 Abra- 
ham believed God, and it was imputed 
unto him for righteousness." And thus 
James (vs. 21, 22) refers to it to prove 
that justification is by works : " Was 
not Abraham our father justified by 
works when he had offered Isaac his 
son upon the altar 1 ?" 

The difficulty of reconciling these 
statements would be more clearly seen 
if they occurred in the writings of the 
same author ; by supposing, for exam- 
ple, that the statements of James were 
ippended to the fourth chapter of the 
•pistle to the Romans, and were to be 
*ead in connexion with that chapter. 
Who, the infidel would ask, would not 
•e struck with the contradiction 1 Who 
would undertake to harmonize state- 
ments so contradictory 1 Yet the state- 
ments are eq lally contradictory, though 



they occur in different writers, and es- 
pecially when it is claimed for both 
that they wrote under the influence of 
inspiration. 

II. The inquiry then is, how these 
apparently contradictory statements 
may be reconciled, or whether there is 
any way of explanation that will re- 
move the difficulty. This inquiry re- 
solves itself into two — whether there is 
any theory that can be proposed that 
would relieve the difficulty ; and whe- 
ther that theory can be shown to be 
well founded. 

(1.) Is there any theory which would 
remove the difficulty — any explanation 
which can be given on this point which, 
if true, would show that the two state- 
ments may be in accordance with each 
other and with truth] 

Before suggesting such an explana- 
tion, it may be further observed, that, 
as all history has shown, the statements 
of Paul on the subject of justification 
are liable to great abuse. All the forms 
of Antinomianism have grown out of 
such abuse, and are only perverted 
statements of his doctrine. It has been 
said that if Christ has freed us from 
the necessity of obeying the law in 
order to justification ; if he has fulfilled 
it in our stead, and borne its penalty, 
then the law is no longer binding on 
those who are justified, and they are 
at liberty to live as they please. It 
has been further said that if we are 
saved by faith alone, a man is safe the 
moment he believes, and good works 
are therefore not necessary. It is pos- 
sible that such views as these began to 
prevail as early as the time of James, 
and, if so, it was proper that there 
should be an authoritative apostolic 
statement to correct them, and to check 
these growing abuses. If, therefore, 
James had, as it has been supposed he 
had, any reference to the sentiments 
of Paul, it was not to correct his seni*- 
ments, or to controvert them, oni |i 
was to correct the abuses which began 
already to flow from his doctrines, ruui 



60 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60. 



to show that the alleged inferences did 
not properly follow from the opinions 
which he held ; or, in other words, to 
show that the Christian religion re- 
quired men to lead holy lives, and that 
the faith by which it was acknowledged 
that the sinner must be justified, was 
a faith which was productive of good 
woiks. 

Now, all that is necessary to recon- 
cile the statements of Paul and James, 
is, to suppose that they contemplate 
the subject of justification from differ- 
ent points of view, and with reference 
to different inquiries. Paul looks at it 
before a man is converted, with refer- 
ence to the question how a sinner may 
be justified before God; James after a 
man is converted, with reference to the 
question how he may show that he has 
the genuine faith which justifies. Paul 
affirms that the sinner is justified be- 
fore God only by faith in the Lord Je- 
sus, and not by his own works; James 
affirms that it is not a mere speculative 
or dead faith which justifies, but only a 
faith that is productive of good works, 
and that its genuineness is seen only 
by good works. Paul affirms that 
whatever else a man has, if he have not 
faith in the Lord Jesus, he cannot be 
justified ; James affirms that no matter 
what pretended faith a man has, if it 
is not a faith which is adapted to pro- 
duce good works, it is of no value in 
the matter of justification. Supposing 
this to be the true explanation, and 
that these are the 4 stand-points' from 
which they view the subject, the re- 
conciliation of these two writers is 
easy : for it was, and is still true, that 
if the question is asked how a sinner 
is to be justified before God, the answer 
is to be that of Paul, that it is by 
faith alone, " without the works of the 
law ;" if the question be asked, how 
it can be shown what is the kind of 
faith that justifies, the answer is that 
of James, that it is only that which is 
productive of holy living and practical 
obedience. 



(2.) Is this a true theory ] Can it 
be shown to be in accordance with the 
statements of the two writers ? Would 
it be a proper explanation if the same 
statements had been made by the same 
writer 1 That it is a correct theory, 
or that it is an explanation founded in 
truth, will be apparent if (a) the lan- 
guage used by the two writers will 
warrant it ; (6) if it accords with a fair 
interpretation of the declarations of both 
writers ; and (c) if, in fact, each of the 
two writers held respectively the same 
doctrine on the subject. 

(a) Will the language bear this ex- 
planation 1 That is, will the word 
justify, as used by the two writers, 
admit of this explanation] That it 
will, there need be no reasonable doubt ; 
for both are speaking of the way in 
which man, who is a sinner, may be 
regarded and treated by God as if he 
were righteous — the true notion of jus- 
tification. It is not of justification in 
the sight of men that they speak, but 
of justification in the sight of God. 
Both use the word justify in this sense 
— Paul as affirming that it is only by 
faith that it can be done; James as af- 
firming, in addition, not in contradic- 
tion, that it is by a faith that produces 
holiness, and no other. 

(&) Does this view accord with the 
fair interpretation of the declarations 
of both writers 1 

In regard to Paul, there can be no 
doubt that this is the point from which 
he contemplates the subject, to wit, 
with reference to the question how a 
sinner may be justified. Thus, in the 
epistle to the Romans, where his prin- 
cipal statements on the subject cccur, 
he shows first, that the Gentiles cannot 
be justified by the works of the law 
(ch. i.), and then that the same thing 
is true in regard to the Jews (chs. if., 
Hi.), by demonstrating that both had 
violated the law given them, and were 
transgressors, and then (ch. iii. 20) 
draws his conclusion, " Therefore by 
the deeds of the law there shall no flesh 



A. 0. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



63 



be justified in his sight" — the whole 
argument showing conclusively that 
ne is contemplating the subject before 
% man is justified, and with reference 
to the question how he may be. - 

In regard to James, there can be as 
little doubt that the point of view from 
which he contemplates the subject is, 
after a man professes to have been jus- 
tified by faith, with reference to the 
question what kind of faith justifies, 
or how it may be shown that faith is 
genuine. This is clear, (a) because 
the whole question is introduced by 
him with almost express reference to 
that inquiry : * What doth it profit, 
my brethren, though a man say he 
hath faith, and have not works] Can 
faith save him V ver. 14. That is, can 
such faith — can this faith rclatis) 
save him 1 In other words, He must 
have a different kind of faith in order 
to save him. The point of James' de- 
nial is not that faith, if genuine, would 
save; but it is, that such a faith, or a 
faith without works, would save. (5) 
That this is the very point which he 
discusses, is further shown by his illus- 
trations, vs. 15, 16, 19. He shows 
(vs. 15, 16) that mere faith in religion 
would be of no more value in regard 
to salvation, than if one were naked 
and destitute of food, it would meet his 
wants to say, 4 Depart in peace, be ye 
warmed and filled and then (ver. 19), 
that even the demons had a certain 
kind of faith in one of the cardinal 
doctrines of religion, but that it was a 
faith which was valueless — thus show- 
ing that his mind was on the question 
what is true and genuine faith, (c) 
Then he shows by the case to which 
he refers (vs. 21 — 23) — the case of 
Abraham — that this was the question 
before his mind. He refers not to the 
act when Abraham first believed — the 
act by which as a sinner he was justi- 
fied before God ; but to an act that oc- 
curred twenty years after — the offering 
up of his son Isaac. See Notes on 
those verses He affirms that the faith 
6 



of Abraham was of such a kind that 
it led him to obey the will of God ; 
that is, to good works. Though, as is 
implied in tne objection referred to 
above, he does refer to the same case 
to which Paul referred — the case of 
Abraham — yet it is not to the same act 
in Abraham. Paul (Rom. iv. 1 — 3) 
refers to him when he first believed, 
affirming that he was then justified by 
faith ; James refers indeed to an act of 
the same man, but occurring twenty 
years after, showing that the faith by 
which he had been justified was genu- 
ine. Abraham was, in fact, according to 
Paul, justified when he believed, and, 
had he died then, he would have been 
saved ; but, according to James, the 
faith which justified him was not a 
dead faith, but was living and operatic-, 
as was shown by his readiness to oiler 
his son on the altar. 

(c) Did each of these two writers in 
reality hold the same doctrine on the 
subject] This will be seen if it can be 
shown that James held to the doctrine 
of justification by faith, as really as 
Paul did ; and that Paul held that good 
works were necessary to show the ge« 
nuineness of faith, as really as James 
did. 

(1.) They both agreed in holding the 
doctrine of justification' by faith. Of 
Paul's belief there can be no doubt. 
That James held the doctrine is appa- 
rent from the fact that he quotes the 
very passage in Genesis (xv. 6), and 
the one on which Paul relies (Rom. 
iv. 1 — 3), as expressing his own views 
— " Abraham believed God, and it was 
imputed unto him for righteousness." 
The truth of this James does not deny, 
but affirms that the Scripture which 
made this declaration was fulfilled or 
confirmed by the act to which he re- 
fers. 

(2.) They both agreed in holding 
that good works are necessary to show 
the genuineness of faith. Of James 1 
views on that point there can be no 
doubt. That Paul held the same opi 



02 



JAMES. 



LA.1). 60 



nion is clear («) from his own life, no 
man ever having been more solicitous to 
keep the whole law of God than he was. 
(b) From his constant exhortations 
and declarations, such as these : " Cre- 
ated in Christ Jesus unto good works" 
(Eph. ii. 10) ; « Charge them that are 
rich that they be rich in good works" 
(1 Tim. vi. 17, 18); "In all things 
showing thyself a pattern of good 
works" (Titus ii. 7) ; « Who gave 
himself for us, that he might purify 
unto himself a peculiar people, zealous 
of good works" (Titus ii. 14) ; « These 
things I will that thou affirm constant- 
ly, that they which have believed in 
God might be careful to maintain good 
works." Titus iii. 8. (c) It appears 
from the fact that Paul believed that 
the rewards of heaven are to be appor- 
tioned according to our good works, or 
according to our character and our at- 
tainments in the divine life. The title 
indeed to eternal life, is, according to 
him, in consequence of faith ; the mea- 
sure of the reward is to be our holiness, 
or what we do. Thus he says (2 Cor. 
v. 10), " For we must all appear before 
the judgment-seat of Christ, that every 
one may receive the things done in his 
body." Thus also he says (2 Cor. ix. 
6), " He which soweth sparingly, shall 
reap also sparingly ; and he which 
soweth bountifully, shall reap also 
bountifully." And thus also he says 
(Rom. ii. 6), that God " will render to 
every man according to his deeds." 
See also the influence which faith had 
on Paul personally, as described in the 
third chapter of his epistle to the Phil- 
ippians. If these things are so, then 
these two writers have not contradicted 
each other, but, viewing the subject 
from different points, they have together 
stated important truths which might 
have been made by any one writer 
without contradiction — first, that it is 
only by faith that a sinner can be jus- 
tified ; and second, that the faith which 
justifies is that only which leads to a 
holy life, and that no * v ,her is of value 



in saving the soul. Thus, on the one 
hand, men would be guarded from de- 
pending on their own righteousness for 
eternal life; and on the other, from all 
the evils of Antinomianism. The great 
object of religion would be secured — 
the sinner would be justified, and 
would become personally holy. 

CHAPTER III. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

The evil which the apostle seems to 
have referred to in this chapter, was a 
desire, which appears to have prevailed 
among those to whom he wrote, to be 
public teachers (SihdexaXvt, ver.l), and 
to be such even where there was no 
proper qualification. It is not easy to 
see any connexion between what is 
said in this chapter, and what is found 
in other parts of the epistle, and indeed 
the plan of the epistle seems to have 
been to notice such things as the apostle 
supposed claimed their attention, with- 
out particular regard to a logical con- 
nexion. Some of the errors and im- 
proprieties which existed among them 
had been noticed in the previous chap- 
ters, and others are referred to in chs. 
iv. v. Those which are noticed in this 
chapter grew out of the desire of being 
public teachers of religion It seems 
probable that he had this subject in his 
eye in the whole of this chapter, and 
this will give a clue to the course of 
thought which he pursues. Let it be 
supposed that there was a prevailing 
desire among those to whom he wrote 
to become public teachers, without 
much regard for the proper qualifi- 
cations for that office, and the interpret 
tation of the chapter will become easy. 
Its design and drift then may be thus 
expressed : 

I. The general subject of the chapter, 
a caution against the desire prevailing 
among many to be ranked among pub- 
lic teachers, ver. 1, first clause. 

II. Considerations to check and 
modify that desire, ver. 1 (last clause), 



A. D. 60.] CHAPTER III. 63 

CHAPTER III. shall receive the greater condem- 

MY brethren, be not many nation. 1 
"masters, knowing that We a Mat. 23. 8, 14. IPe. 5. 3. 1 or, judgment. 



ver. 18. These considerations are the 
following: 

(1.) The fact that public teachers 
must give a more solemn account than 
other men, and that they expose them- 
selves to the danger of a deeper con- 
demnation, ver. 1, last clause. 

(2.) The evils which grow out of an 
improper use of the tongue,- evils to 
which those are particularly liable 
whose business is speaking, vs. 2 — 12. 
This leads the apostle into a general 
statement of the importance of the 
tongue as a member of the human 
body ; of the fact that we are pecu- 
liarly liable to offend in that (ver. 2) ; 
of the fact that if that is regulated 
aright, the whole man is; as a horse is 
managed by the bit, and a ship is 
steered by the rudder (vs. 2 — 4) ; of 
the fact that the tongue, though a little 
member, is capable of accomplishing 
great things, and is peculiarly liable, 
when not under proper regulations, to 
do mischief (vs. 5. 6) ; of the fact that, 
while every thing else has been tamed, 
it has been found impossible to bring 
the tongue under proper restraints, and 
that it performs the most discordant 
and opposite functions (vs. 7 — 9) ; and 
of the impropriety and absurdity of this, 
as if the same fountain should bring 
forth sweet water and bitter, vs. 10 — 
12. By these considerations, the apos- 
tle seems to have designed to repress 
the prevailing desire of leaving other 
employments, and of becoming public 
instructors without suitable qualifica- 
tions. 

(3.) The apostle adverts to the im- 
portance of wisdom, with reference to 
the same end ; that is, of suitable quali- 
fications to give public instruction, vs. 
13—18. He shows (ver. 13) that if 
there was a truly wise man among 
them, he should show this by his 
works, with < meekness/ and not by 



obtruding himself upon the attention 
of others; that if there was a want of 
it evinced in a spirit of rivalry and con- 
tention, there would be confusion and 
every evil work (vs. 14 — 16) ; and 
that where there was true wisdom, it 
was unambitious and unostentatious ; 
it was modest, retiring, and pure. It 
would lead to a peaceful life of virtue, 
and its existence would be seen in the 
< fruits of righteousness sown in peace/ 
vs. 17, 18. It might be inferred that 
they who had this spirit would not be 
ambitious of becoming public teachers ; 
they would not place themselves at the 
head of parties ; they would show the 
true spirit of religion in an unobtrusive 
and humble life. We are not to sup- 
pose, in the interpretation of this chap- 
ter, that the apostle argued against a 
desire to enter the ministry, in itself 
considered, and where there are proper 
qualifications; but he endeavoured to 
suppress a spirit which has not been 
uncommon in the world, to become 
public teachers as a means of more in- 
fluence and power, and without any 
suitable regard to the proper endow 
ments for such an office. 

1. My brethren, be not many mas- 
ters. « Be not many of you teachers.' 
The evil referred to is that where many 
desired to be teachers, though but few 
could be qualified for the office, and 
though, in fact, comparatively few 
were required. A small number, well 
qualified, would better discharge the 
duties of the office, and do more good, 
than many would ; and there would 
be great evil in having many crowd- 
ing themselves unqualified into the 
office. The word here rendered masters 
(8i8daxa7j)i) should have been rendered 
teachers. It is so rendered in John iii. 

2. Acts xiii. 1. Rom. ii. 20. 1 Cor. xii. 
28, 29. Eph. iv. 11. 1 Tim. ii. 11 ; iv. 

3. Heb. v. 12, though it is elsewhere 



64 



JAMES. 



[A. D. (50. 



frequently rendered master. It has, 
however, in it primarily the notion of 
teaching (foSacrxw), even when ren- 
dered master-, and the word master is 
often used in the New Testament, as 
it is with us, to denote an instructor — 
as the « school-master.' Comp. Matt, 
x. 24, 25 ; xxii. 16. Mark x. 17; xii. 
19, et ah The word is not properly 
used in the sense of master, as distin- 
guished from a servant, hut as distin- 
guished from a disciple or learner. 
Such a position, indeed, implies au- 
thority, but it is authority based, not 
on power, but on superior qualifica- 
tions. The connection implies that 
the word is used in that sense in this 
place ; and the evil reprehended is that 
of seeking the office of public in- 
structor; especially the sacred office. 
It would seem that this was a prevail- 
ing fault among those to whom the 
apostle wrote. This desire was com- 
mon among the Jewish people, who 
coveted the name and the office of 
Rabbi, equivalent to that here used, 
(Comp. Matt, xxiii. 7), and who were 
ambitious to be doctors and teachers. 
See Rom. ii. 19. 1 Tim. i. 7. This 
fondness for the office of teachers they 
naturally carried with them into the 
Christian church when they were con- 
verted, and it is this which the apostle 
here rebukes* The same spirit the 
passage before us would rebuke now, 
and for the same reasons ; for although 
a man should be willing to become a 
public instructor in religion when called 
to it by the Spirit and Providence of 
God, and should esteem it a privilege 

* A proof of some importance that this 
prevailed in the early Christian church, 
among those who had been Jews, is fur- 
nished by a passage in the Apocryphal work 
called " The Ascension of Isaiah the Pro- 
phet;" a work which Dr. Lawrence, the 
editor, supposes was written not far from 
the apostolic age. " In those days (the days 
of the Messiah) shall many be attached to 
office, destitute of wisdom ; multitudes of ini- 
quitous elders and pastors, injurious to their 
flocks, and addicted to rapine, nor shall the 
holy pastors themselves diligently discharge 
%heit dutv." ch. iii. 23. 24. 



when so called, yet there would be 
scarcely any thing more injurious to the 
cause of true religion, or that would tend 
more to produce disorder and confusion, 
than a prevailing desire of the promi- 
nence and importance which a man has 
in virtue of being a public instructor. 
If there is any thing which ought to 
be managed with extreme prudence 
and caution, it is that of introducing 
men into the Christian ministry. Comp. 
1 Tim. v. 22. Acts i. 15—26 ; xiii. 2, 3. 
*f Knowing that we shall receive the 
greater condemnation (ixsigov xptfta)* 
Or rather, a severer judgment ; that is, 
we shall have a severer trial, and give 
a stricter account. The word here 
used does not necessarily mean con- 
demnation, but judgment, trial, ac-< 
count; and the consideration which 
the apostle suggests is not that those 
who were public teachers would be 
condemned, but that there would be a 
much more solemn account to be ren- 
dered by them than by other men, and 
that they ought duly to reflect on this 
in seeking the office of the ministry. 
He would carry them in anticipation 
before the judgment-seat, and have 
them determine the question of enter- 
ing the ministry there. No better 
4 stand-point' can be taken in making 
up the mind in regard to this work ; 
and if that had been the position as- 
sumed in order to estimate the work, and 
to make up the mind in regard to the 
choice of this profession, many a one who 
has sought the office would have been 
deterred from it ; and, it may be added, 
also, that many a pious and educated 
youth would have sought the office, 
who has devoted his life to other pur- 
suits. A young man, when about to 
make choice of a calling in life, should 
place himself by anticipation at the 
judgment-bar of Christ, and ask him- 
self how human pursuits and plans 
wiil appear there. If that were the 
point of view taken, how many would 
have been deterred from the ministry 
wtu» have sought it w*th a view to 



A.D. 60.] CHAPTER HI. 

2 For a in many things we 
offend al^ If any man offend 
not in word, Hhe same 25 a per- 
fect man, and able also to bridle 
the whole body. 

clKi.b.46. Pr.20.9. Uno.1.8. JPr.13.3. 



honour or emolument ! How many, 
too, who hava devoted themselves to 
the profession of the law, to the army 
or navy, or to the pursuits of elegant 
literature, would have felt that it was 
their duty to serve God in the ministry 
of reconciliation ! How many at the 
close of life, in the ministry and out 
of it, feel, when too late to make a 
change, that they have wholly mis- 
taken the purpose for which they 
should have lived ! 

2. For in many things we offend 
all. W e all offend. The word here 
rendered offend, means to stumble, to 
fail ; then to err, to fail in duty ; and 
the meaning here is, that all were lia- 
ble to commit error, and that this con- 
sideration should induce men to be 
cautious in seeking an office where an 
error would be likely to do so much 
injury. The particular thing, doubt- 
less, which the apostle had in his eye, 
was the peculiar liability to commit 
error, or to do wrong with the tongue. 
Of course, this liability is very great in 
an office where the very business is 
public speaking. If anywhere the im- 
proper use of the tongue will do mis- 
chief, it is in the office of a religious 
teacher; and to show the danger of 
this, and the importance of caution in 
seeking that office, the apostle proceeds 
to show what mischief the tongue is 
capable of effecting, ^ If any man 
offend not in word. In his speech ; 
in the use of his tongue, f The same 
is a perfect man. Perfect in the sense 
in which the apostle immediately ex- 
plains himself ; that he is able to keep 
every other member of his body in 
subjection. His object is not to repre- 
sent the man as absolutely spotless in 
6* 



65 

3 Behold, we put bits c in the 
horses' mouths, that they may 
obey us ; and we turn about their 
whole body. 

4 Behold also the ships, which 

c Ps. 32. 9. 



every sense, and as wholly free from 
sin, for he had himself just said that 
« all offend in many things;' but the 
design is to show that if a man can 
control his tongue, he has complete 
dominion over himself, as much as a 
man has over a horse by the bit, or as 
a steersman has over a ship if he has 
hold of the rudder. He is perfect in 
that sense, that he has complete control 
over himself, and will not be liable to 
error in any thing. The design is to 
show the important position which the 
tongue occupies, as governing the 
whole man. On the meaning of the 
word perfect, see Notes on Job i. 1. 
% And able also to bridle the whole 
body. To control his whole body, 
that is, every other part of himself, as 
a man does a horse by the bridle. 
The word rendered 4 to bridle/ means to 
lead or guide with a bit ; then to rein 
in, to check, to moderate, to restrain. 
A man always has complete govern- 
ment over himself if he has the entire 
control of his tongue. It is that by 
which he gives expression to his 
thoughts and passions ; and if that is 
kept under proper restraint, ali the rest 
of his members are as easily controlled 
as the horse is by having the control 
of the bit. 

3. Behold, we put bits in the horses'* 
mouths, &c. The meaning of this 
simple illustration is, that as we control 
a horse by the bit — though the bit is a 
small thing — so the body is controlled 
by the tongue. He who has a proper 
control over his tongue can govern his 
whole body, as he who holds a bridle 
governs and turns about the horse. 

4 Behold also the ships. This ii- 
lurtration is equally striking and obvi. 



JAMES. 



[A. i). m 



though they he so great, and are 
driven of fierce winds, yet are 
they turned about with a very 
small helm, whithersoever the 
governor listeth. 

5 Even so the tongue a is a 

a Pr. 12. 18. 



ous. A ship is a large object. It seems 
to be unmanageable by its vastness, 
and it is also impelled by driving 
storms. Yet it is easily managed by 
a small rudder, and he that has control 
of that, has control of the ship itself. 
So with the tongue. It is a small 
member as compared with the body ; 
in its size not unlike the rudder as 
compared with the ship. Yet the 
proper control of the tongue in respect 
to its influence on the whole man, is 
not unlike the control of the rudder in 
its power over the ship, t Which 
though they be so great* So great in 
themselves, and in comparison with the 
rudder. Even such bulky and un- 
wieldy objects are controlled by a very 
small thing. t And are driven of 
fierce winds. By winds that would 
seem to leave the ship beyond control. 
It is { robable that by the < fierce winds' 
here as impelling the ship, the apostle 
meant to illustrate the power of the 
passions in impelling man. Even a 
man under impetuous passion would 
be restrained, if the tongue is properly 
controlled, as the ship driven by the 
winds is by the helm. ^ Are turned 
about with a very small helm* The 
ancient rudder or helm was made in the 
shape of an oar. This was very small 
when compared with the size of the 
vessel — about as small as the tongue 
is as compared with the body, f Whi- 
thersoever the governor listeth. As 
the helmsman pleases. It is entirely 
under his control. 

5. Even so, the tongue is a little 
member. Little compared with the 
body, as the bit or the rudder is com- 
pared with the horse or the ship. 



little member, and boasteth* great 
things. Behold, how* great l a 
matter a little fire kindleth ! 

6 And the tongue is a fire, c a 
world of iniquity : so is the tongue 
among our members, that it de- 
ft Ps. 12. 3. 1 or, wood. cPr. 16. 27. 

t And boasteth great things. The 
design of the apostle is to illustrate the 
power and influence of the tongue. 
This may be done in a great many re- 
spects, and the apostle does it by refer- 
ring to its boasting; to the effects 
which it produces, resembling that of 
fire (ver. 6) ; to its untameableness 
(vs. 8, 9) ; and to its giving utterance 
to the most inconsistent and incongru- 
ous thoughts, vs. 9, 10. The particu- 
lar idea here is, that the tongue seems 
to be conscious of its influence and 
power, and boasts largely of what it 
can do. The apostle means doubtless 
to convey the idea that it boasts not 
unjustly of its importance. It has all 
the influence in the world, for good or 
for evil, which it claims. ^ Behold, 
how great a matter a little fire kin- 
dleth, Marg. ivood. The Greek word 
(yXq), means a wood, forest, grove; 
and then fire-wood, fuel. This is the 
meaning here. The sense is that a 
very little fire is sufficient to ignite a 
large quantity of combustible materials, 
and that the tongue produces effects 
similar to that. A spark will kindle a 
lofty pile ; and a word spoken by the 
tongue may set a neighbourhood or a 
village < in a flame/ 

6. And the tongue is a fire. In this 
sense that it produces a « blaze,' or a 
great conflagration. It produces a dis- 
turbance and an agitation that may be 
compared with the conflagration often 
produced by a spark. Tf A world of 
iniquity. A little world of evil in it- 
self. This is a very expressive phrase, 
and is similar to one which we often 
employ, as when we speak of a town 
as being a world in miniature. W« 



A D. 60.] CHAPTER III. 

fileth a lhe whole body, and set 

a Mat. 15. 11-20. i wheel. 



mean by it that it is an epitome of the 
world ; that all that there is in the 
world is represented there on a small 
scale. So when the tongue is spoken 
of as being « a world of iniquity,' it is 
meant that all kinds of evil that are in 
the world are exhibited there in minia- 
ture ; it seems to concentrate all sorts 
of iniquity that exist on the earth. And 
what evil is there which may not be 
originated or fomented by the tongue ? 
What else is there that might with so 
much propriety be represented as a 
little world of iniquity ? With all the 
good which it does, who can estimate 
the amount of evil which it causes'? 
Who can measure the evils which arise 
from scandal, and slander, and profane- 
ness, and perjury, and falsehood, and 
blasphemy, and obscenity, and the in- 
culcation of error, by the tongue ] 
Who can gauge the amount of broils, 
and contentions, and strifes, and wars, 
and suspicions, and enmities, and ali- 
enations among friends and neighbours, 
which it produces'? Who can number 
the evils produced by the « honeyed' 
words of the seducer ; or by the tongue 
of the eloquent in the maintenance of 
error, and the defence of wrong ? If 
all men were dumb, what a portion of 
the crimes of the world would soon 
cease ! If all men would speak only 
that which ought to be spoken, what 
a change would come over the face of 
human affairs ! % So is the tongue 
among our members, that it defileth 
the whole body. It stains or pollutes 
the whole body. It occupies a position 
and relation so important in respect to 
every part of our moral frame, that 
there is no portion which is not affected 
by it. Of the truth of this, no one can 
have any doubt. There is nothing 
slse pertaining to us as moral and in- 
ellectual beings, which exerts such an 
nStsence over our sp Ives as the tongue. 



67 

tetn on fire the 1 course of nature 
and it is set on fire of hell. 



A man of pure conversation is under- 
stood and felt to be pure in every re- 
spect ; but who has any confidence in 
the virtue of the blasphemer, or the 
man of obscene lips, or the calumniator 
and slanderer] We always regard such 
a man as corrupt to the core. Tf And 
setteth on fire the course of nature. 
The margin is ' the wheel of nature.' 
The Greek word also (rpo#o$) means 
a wheel, or any thing made for revolving 
and running. Then it means the course 
run by a wheel ; a circular course or 
circuit. The word rendered nature 
(yhsGis), means procreation, birth, na~ 
tivity, and, therefore, the phrase means 
literally, the wheel of birth ; that is 
the wheel which is set in motion at 
birth, and which runs on through life. 
Rob. Lex. sub voce yivs6t,$* It may 
be a matter of doubt whether this re- 
fers to successive generations, or to the 
course of individual life. The more 
literal sense would be that which refers 
to an individual ; but perhaps the apos- 
tle meant to speak in a popular sense, 
and thought of the affairs of the world 
as they roll on from age to age, as all 
enkindled by the tongue, keeping the 
world in a constant blaze of excitement. 
Whether applied to an individual life, 
or to the world at large, every one can 
see the justice of the comparison. One 
naturally thinks, when this expression 
is used, of a chariot driven on with so 
much speed that its wheels by their 
rapid motion become self-ignited, and 
the chariot moves on amidst flames. 
1 And it is set on fire of helU Hell, or 
Gehenna, is represented as a place where 
the fires continually burn. See Notes 
on Matt. v. 22. The idea here is, that 
that which causes the tongue to do so 
much evil derives its origin from hell. 
Nothing could better characterize much 
of that which the tongue does, than to 
say that it has its origin in hell, and 



58 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60 



7 For every 'kind of beasts, 
and of birds, and of serpents, 

1 nature. 



has the spirit which reigns there. The 
very spirit of that world of fire and 
wickedness — a spirit of falsehood, and 
slander, and blasphemy, and pollution 
— seems to inspire the tongue. The 
image which seems to have been before 
the mind of the apostle was that of a 
torch which enkindles and burns every 
thing as it goes along — a torch itself 
lighted at the fires of hell. One of the 
most striking descriptions of the woes 
and curses which there may be in hell, 
would be to portray the sorrows caused 
on the earth by the tongue. 

7, For every kind of beasts. The 
apostle proceeds to state another thing 
showing the power of the tongue, the 
fact that it is ungovernable, and that 
there is no power of man to keep it 
under control. Every thing else but 
this has been tamed. It is unnecessary 
to refine on the expressions used here, 
by attempting to prove that it is lite- 
rally true that every species of beasts 
and birds and fishes has been tamed. 
The apostle is to be understood as 
speaking in a general and popular 
sense, showing the remarkable power 
of man over those things which are by 
nature savage and wild. The power 
of man in taming wild beasts is won- 
derful. Indeed, it is to be remembered 
that nearly all those beasts which we 
now speak of as 'domestic' animals, 
and which we are accustomed to see 
only when they are tame, were once 
fierce and savage races. This is the 
case with the horse, the ox, the ass 
(see Notes on Job xi. 12 ; xxxix. 5), 
the swine, the dog, the cat, &c. The 
editor of the Pictorial Bible well re- 
marks, " There is perhaps no kind of 
creature, to which man has access, 
which might not be tamed by him with 
proper perseverance. The ancients 
seem to have made more exertions to 



and of things in the sea is tamed, 
and hath been tamed of 2 mankind. 

2 nature of man. 

this end, and with much better success, 
than ourselves. The examples given 
by Pliny, of creatures tamed by men, 
relate to elephants, lions, and tigers, 
among beasts ; to the eagle, among 
birds ; to asps, and other serpents ; and 
to crocodiles, and various fishes, among 
the inhabitants of the water. Nat 
His. viii. 9, 16, 17; x. 5, 44. The 
lion was very commonly tamed by the 
ancient Egyptians, and trained to assist 
both in hunting and in war." Notes 
in loc. The only animal which it has 
been supposed has defied the power of 
man to tame it is the hyena, and even 
this, it is said, has been subdued, in 
modern times. There is a passage in 
Euripides which has a strong reseris 
blance to this of James. 

X^wuoy t*' dspuoi/ Tfs TiaiBsvuaTfa. 

< Small is the power which nature 
has given to man, but by various acts 
of his superior understanding, he has 
subdued the tribes of the sea, the earth, 
and the air.' Comp. on this subject, 
the passages quoted by Pricaeus in the 
Critici Sacri, in loc, f And of birds. 
It is a common thing to tame birds, 
and even the most wild are susceptible 
of being tamed. A portion of the fea- 
thered race, as the hen, the goose, the 
duck, is thoroughly domesticated. The 
pigeon, the martin, the hawk, the eagle, 
may be ; and perhaps there are none 
of that race which might not be made 
subject to the will of man. % And of 
serpents. The ancients showed great 
skill in this art, in reference to asps 
and other venomous serpents, and 
it is common now in India. In many 
instances, indeed, it is known that the 
fangs of the serpents are extracted 



\. D. 60.] CHAPTER III. 

8 But the tongue can no man 
tame ; it is an unruly evil, full 
of deadly "poison. 

aPs. 140. 3. Ro. 3. 13. 



out even when this is not done, they 
who practise the art learn to handle 
them with impunity. % And of things 
in the sea. As the crocodile, men- 
tioned by Pliny. It may be affirmed 
with confidence that there is no animal 
which might not, by proper skill and 
Derseverance, be rendered tame, or 
made obedient to the will of man. It 
is not necessary, however, to under- 
stand the apostle as affirming that lite- 
rally every animal has been tamed, or 
ever can be. He evidently speaks in 
a popular sense of the great power 
which man undeniably has over all 
kinds of wild animals — over the crea- 
tion beneath him. 

8. But the tongue can no man tame. 
This does not mean that it is never 
brought under control, but that it is 
impossible effectually and certainly to 
subdue it. It would be possible to 
subdue and domesticate any kind- of 
beasts, but this could not be done with 
the tongue. % It is an unruly evil. 
An evil without restraint, to which no 
certain and effectual check can be ap- 
plied. Of the truth of this no one 
can have any doubt who looks at the 
condition of the world f Full of 
deadly poison. That is, it acts on the 
happiness of man, and on the peace of 
society, as poison does on the human 
frame. The allusion here seems to be 
to the bite of a venomous reptile. 
Comp. Ps. cxl. 3. « They have sharp- 
ened their tongues like a serpent ; ad- 
der's poison is under their lips." Rom. 
iii. 13. " With their tongues they have 
used deceit ; the poison of asps is under 
their lips." Nothing would better de- 
scribe the mischief that may be done 
by the tongue. There is no sting of a 
serpent that does so mu^h evil in the 



69 

9 Therewith bless we God, 
even the Father; and therewith 
curse we men, which are made 
after the similitude of God. 



world ; there is no poison more deadly 
to the frame than the poison of the 
tongue is to the happiness of man. 
Who, for example, can stand before 
the power of the slanderer] What 
mischief can be done in society that 
can be compared with that which he 
may do ? 

'Tis slander; 
Whose edge is sharper than the sword j 

whose tongue 
Outvenoms all the worms of Nile; whose 

breath 

Rides on the posting winds, and doth belie 
All corners of the world : kings, queens, and 
states, 

Maids, matrons, nay, the secrets of the grare 
This viperous slander enters. 

Shaks. in Cymbeline. 

9. Therewith bless we God. We 
men do this ; that is, all this is done 
by the tongue. The apostle does not 
mean that the same man does this, 
but that all this is done by the same 
organ — the tongue. % Even the Father. 
Who sustains to us the relation of a 
father. The point in the remark of the 
apostle is, the absurdity of employing 
the tongue in such contradictory uses 
as to bless one who has to us the rela- 
tion of a father, and to curse any being, 
especially those who are made in his 
image. The word bless here is used 
in the sense of praise, thank, worship. 
IT And therewith curse we men. That 
is, it is done by the same organ by 
which God is praised and honoured. 
IT Which are made after the simili- 
tude of God. After his image. Gen. 
i. 26, 27. As w r e bless God, we ought 
with the same organ to bless those 
who are like him. There is an ab- 
surdity in cursing men who are thus 
made, like what there would be in 
both blessing and cursing the Creator 
himself. 



70 



JAMES. 



[A. 1>. 60 



10 Ou % of the same mouth 
proceedeth blessing and cursing. 
My brethren, these things ought 
not so to be. 

11 Doth a fountain send forth 
at the same 1 place sweet water 
and bitter? 

1 or, hole. 



10. Out of the same mouth pro- 
ceedeth blessing and cursing. The 
meaning here may be, either that out 
of the mouth of man two such oppo- 
site things proceed, not referring to 
the same individual, but to different 
persons; or, out of the mouth of 
the same individual. Both of these 
are true ; and both are equally in- 
congruous and wrong. No organ 
should be devoted to uses so unlike, 
and the mouth should be employed in 
giving utterance only to that which is 
just, benevolent, and good. It is true, 
however, that the mouth is devoted to 
these opposite employments, and that 
while one part of the race employ it 
for purposes of praise, the other employ 
it in uttering maledictions. It is also 
true of many individuals that at one 
time they praise their Maker, and then, 
with the same organ, calumniate, and 
slander, and revile their fellow-men. 
After an act of solemn devotion in the 
house of God, the professed worship- 
per goes forth with the feelings of 
malice in his heart, and the language 
of slander, detraction, or even blas- 
phemy on his lips. ^ My brethren, 
these things ought not so to be* They 
are as incongruous as it would be for 
the same fountain to send forth both 
salt water and fresh ; or for the same 
tree to bear different kinds of fruit. 

11. Doth a fountain send forth at 
the same place 1 Marg. hole. The Greek 
word means opening, fissure, such as 
there is in the earth, or in rocks from 
which a fountain gushes. If Sweet 
water and bitter. Fresh water and 
salt. ver. 12. Such things do not oc- 



12 Can the fig-tree, a my bre- 
thren, bear olive-berries? either 
a vine, figs? so can no fountain 
both yield salt water and fresh. 

13 Who b is a wise man and 
endued with knowledge among 
you? let him show out of a good 

a Mat. 7. 16. 6Ps. 107. 43. 



cur in the works of nature, and they 
should not be found in man. 

12. Can the fig-tree, my brethren, 
bear olive-berries? Such a thing is 
impossible in nature, and equally ab- 
surd in morals. A fig-tree bears only 
figs ; and so the tongue ought to give 
utterance only to one class of senti- 
ments and emotions. These illustra- 
tions are very striking, and show the 
absurdity of that which the apostle re- 
proves. At the same time, they ac- 
complish the main purpose which he 
had in view, to repress the desire of 
becoming public teachers without suit- 
able qualifications. They show the 
power of the tongue ; they show what 
a dangerous power it is for a man to 
wield who has not the proper qualifi- 
cations ; they show that no one should 
put himself in the position where he 
may wield this power without such a 
degree of tried prudence, wisdom, dis- 
cretion, and piety, that there shall be a 
moral certainty that he will use it 
aright. 

13. Who is a wise man, and endued 
with knowledge among you ? This is 
spoken with reference to the work oi 
public teaching; and the meaning ol 
the apostle is, that if there were such 
persons among them, they should be 
selected for that office. The character- 
istics here stated as necessary qualifi 
cations are wisdom and knowledge. 
Those, it would seem, on which reli- 
ance had been placed, were chiefly 
those which were connected with a 
ready elocution, or the mere faculty of 
speaking. The apostle had stated the 
dangers which would follow if reliancs 



A. D. 6a J 



chapt: 



ER III. 



71 



conversation "his works with 
meekness of wisdom. 

14 But if ye have bitter envy- 
ing and strife in your hearts, 

a Ph. 1. 27. 



even placed on that alone, and he now 
says that something more is necessary, 
that the main qualifications for the 
office are wisdom and knowledge. No 
mere power of speaking, however elo- 
quent it might be, was a sufficient 
qualification. The primary things to 
be sought in reference to that office 
were wisdom and knowledge, and they 
who were endowed with these things 
should be selected for public instructors. 
1T Let him show out of a good conver- 
sation. From a correct and consistent 
life and deportment. On the meaning 
of the word conversation, see Notes on 
Phil. i. 27. The meaning here is, that 
there should be an upright life, and 
that this should be the basis in form- 
ing the judgment in appointing persons 
to fill stations of importance, and espe- 
cially in the office of teaching in the 
church. IT His works. His acts of 
uprightness and piety. He should be 
a man of a holv life. ^iWith meekness 
of wisdom. With a wise and prudent 
gentleness of life ; not in a noisy, arro- 
gant, and boastful manner. True wis- 
dom is always meek, mild, gentle ; and 
that is the wisdom which is needful if 
men would become public teachers. It 
is remarkable that the truly wise man 
is always characterized by a calm spirit, 
a mild and placid demeanour, and by a 
gentle, though firm, enunciation of his 
sentiments. A noisy, boisterous, and 
stormy declaimer we never select as a 
safe counsellor. He may accomplish 
much in his way by his bold eloquence 
of manner, but we do not put him in 
places where we need far-reaching 
thought, or where we expect the exer- 
cise of profound philosophical views. 
In tn eminent degree, the ministry of 



glory not ; and lie not against 
the truth. 

15 This b wisdom descendeth 
not from above, but is earthly, 
'sensual, devilish. 

b 1 Co. 3. 3. 1 or, natural. 



the gospel should be characterized by a 
calm, gentle, and thoughtful wisdom — 
a wisdom which shines in all the actions 
of the life. 

14. But if ye have bitter envying 
and strife in your hearts. If that ia 
your characteristic. There is reference 
here to a fierce and unholy zeal against 
each other; a spirit of ambition and 
contention. % Glory not. Do not boast 
in such a case of your qualifications to 
be public teachers. Nothing would 
render you more unfit for such an office 
than such a spirit. ^And lie not against 
the truth. You would lie against what 
is true by setting up a claim to the re- 
quisite qualifications for such an office, 
if this is your spirit. Men should seek 
no office or station which they could 
not properly seek if the whole ti ith 
about them were known. 

15. This wisdom descendeth not 
from above, Comp. Notes on 1 Cor. 
iii. 3. The wisdom here referred to is 
that carnal or worldly wisdom which 
produces strife and contention ; that 
kind of knowledge which leads to self- 
conceit, and which prompts a man to 
defend his opinions with over-heated 
zeal. In the contentions which are in 
the world in church and state; in 
neighbourhoods and families; at the 
bar, in political life, and in theological 
disputes ; even where there is the mani- 
festation of enraged and irascible feci 
ing, there is often much of a certain 
kind of wisdom. There is learning, 
shrewdness, tact, logical skill, subtle 
and skilful argumentation — ' making the 
worse appear the better reason but 
all this is often connected with a spirit 
so narrow, bigoted, and contentious, 
as to show clearly that it has not its 



72 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60. 



16 For where envying and 
strife is, there is 1 confusion and 
every evil work. 

1 tumult, or unquietness. 



origin in heaven. The spirit which 
is originated there is always connected 
with gentleness, calmness, and a love 
of truth. IT But is earthly. Has its 
origin in this world, and partakes of 
its spirit. It is such as men exhibit 
who are governed only by worldly max- 
ims and principles. Sensual. Marg. 
natural. The meaning is, that it has its 
origin in our sensual rather than in 
our intellectual and moral nature. It 
is that which takes counsel of our na- 
tural appetites and propensities, and 
not of high and spiritual influences. 
1i Devilish. Demoniacal (Satftopudo^)* 
&uch as the demons exhibit. See Notes 
on ch. ii. 19. There may be indeed 
talent in it, but there is the interming- 
ling of malignant passions, and it leads 
to contentions, strifes, divisions, and 
every evil work.' 

18. For where envying and strife 
is, there is confusion. Marg., tumuli 
or unquietness. Every thing is unset- 
tled and agitated. There is no mutual 
confidence; there is no union of plan 
and effort; there is no co-operation in 
promoting a common object; there is 
no stability ill any plan ; for a purpose, 
though for good, formed by one por- 
tion, is defeated by another. U* And 
every evil work. Of the truth of this 
no one can have any doubt who has 
observed the effects in a family or 
neighbourhood where a spirit of strife 
prevails. All love and harmony of 
course are banished ; all happiness dis- 
appears ; all prosperity is at an end. 
In place of the peaceful virtues which 
ought to prevail, there springs up 
every evil passion that tends to mar 
the peace of a community. Where 
this spirit prevails in a church, it is of 
course impossible to expect any pro- 



17 But the wisdom °that is 
from above is first pure, Hhen 
peaceable, gentle, d and easy to 

a 1 Co. 2. 6, 7. b Ph. 4. 8. c He. 12. 14 
dGa. 5. 22. 



gress in divine things ; and in such a 

church any effort to do good is vain. 

" The Spirit, like a peaceful dove. 
Flies from the realms of noise and strife.' 

17, But the vjisdom that is from 
above. Comp. Notes on 1 Cor. ii. 6, 
7. The wisdom which has a heavenly 
origin, or which is from God. The 
man who is characterized by that wis- 
dom will be pure, peaceable, &c. This 
does not refer to the doctrines of reli- 
gion, but to its spirit. % Is first pure. 
That is, the first effect of it on the mind 
is to make it pure. The influence 
on the man is to make him upright, 
sincere, candid, holy. The word here 
used (aywj) is that which would be 
applied to one who is innocent, or 
free from crime or blame. Comp. 
Phil. iv. 8. 1 Tim. v. 22. 1 John iii. 
3, where the word is rendered, as here, 
pure ; 2 Cor. vii. 1 1 , where it is ren- 
dered clear [in this matter] ; 2 Cor. 
xi. 2. Titus ii. 5. 1 Pet. iii. 2, where 
it is rendered chaste. The meaning 
here is, that the first and immediate 
effect of religion is not on the intellect, 
to make it more enlightened ; or on the 
imagination, to make it more discursive 
and brilliant; or on the memory and 
judgment, to make them clearer and 
stronger ; but it is to purify the heart, 
to make the man upright, inoffensive, 
and good. This passage should not 
be applied, as it often is, to the doctrines 
of religion, as if it were the first duty 
of a church to keep itself free from 
errors in doctrine, and that this ought 
to be sought even in preference to the 
maintenance of peace-— as if it meant 
that in doctrine a church should be 
< first pure, then peaceable but it 
should be applied to the individual 
consciences of men, as shewing the 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER III. 



73 



be entreated, full of mercy and 



1 or, icrangling. 



effect of religion on the heart and life, 
The first thing which it produces is to 
make the man himself pure and good ; 
then follows the train of blessings which 
the apostle enumerates as flowing from 
that. It is true that a church should 
be pure in doctrinal belief, but that is 
not the truth taught here. It is not true 
that the Scripture teaches, here or else- 
where, that purity of doctrine is to be 
preferred to a peaceful spirit; or that 
it always leads to a peaceful spirit ; or 
that it is proper for professed Christians 
and Christian ministers to sacrifice, as 
is often done, a peaceful spirit, in an 
attempt to preserve purity of doctrine. 
Most of the persecutions in the church 
have grown out of this maxim. This 
led to the establishment of the Inquisi- 
tion ; this kindled the fires of Smith- 
field ; this inspirited Laud and his friends; 
this has been the origin of no small 
part of the schisms in the church. A 
pure spirit is the best promoter of 
peace, and will do more than any thing 
else to secure the prevalence of truth. 
IT Then peaceable. The effect of true 
religion — the wisdom which is from 
above — will be to dispose a man to 
live in peace with all others. See 
Notes on Rom. xiv. 19. Heb. xii. 14. 
IT Gentle. Mild, inoffensive, clement. 
The word here used (Jrftstxqg) is ren- 
dered moderation in Phil. iv. 5 ; pa- 
tient in 1 Tim. iii. 3 ; and gentle in 
Titus iii. 2. James iii. 17, and 1 Pet. 
ii. 18. It does not occur elsewhere in 
the New Testament. Every one has 
a clear idea of the virtue of gentleness — 
gentleness of spirit, of deportment, and 
of manners ; and every one can see 
that that is the appropriate spirit of 
religion. Comp. Notes on 2 Cor. x. 1. 
[t is from this word that we have de- 
rived the word gentleman ; and the 
effect of tiue religion is to make every 
one, in the proper and best sense of the 
term a gentleman. How can a man 



good fruits, without 'partiality, 
and without hypocrisy. 

have evidence that he is a true Chris- 
tian, who is not such ? The highest 
title which can be given to a man is, 
that he is a Christian gentleman. 
t And easy to be entreated. The word 
here used does not elsewhere occur in 
the New Testament. It means easily 
persuaded, compliant. Of course, this 
refers only to cases where it is right 
and proper to be easily persuaded and 
complying. It cannot refer to things 
which are in themselves wrong. The 
sense is, that he who is under the in- 
fluence of the wisdom which is from 
above, is not a stiff, stern, obstinate, 
unyielding man. He does not take a 
position, and then hold it whether right 
or wrong ; he is not a man on whom 
no arguments or persuasions can have 
any influence. He is not one who 
cannot be affected by any appeals 
which may be made to him on the 
grounds of patriotism, justice, or bene- 
volence ; but is one who is ready to 
yield when truth requires him to do it, 
and who is willing to sacrifice his own 
convenience for the good of others. 
See this illustrated in the case of the 
apostle Paul, in 1 Cor. ix. 20, 21, 22. 
Comp. Notes on that passage, % Full 
of mercy. Merciful ; disposed to show 
compassion to others. This is one of 
the results of the wisdom that is from 
above, for it makes us like God, the 

1 Father of mercies.' See Notes on 
Matt. v. 7. 1 And good fruits. The 
fruits of good living ; just, benevolent, 
and kind actions. Notes, Phil, i. 11 ; 

2 Cor. ix. 10. Comp. ch. ii, 14—26. 
Without partiality. Marg. 4 or 

wrangling.' The word here used 
(a&'axptT'os) occurs nowhere else in the 
New Testament. It means properly, 
not to be distinguished. Here, it may 
mean either of the following things: 
(a) not open to distinction or doubt ; 
that is, unambiguous, so that there 
shall be no doubt about its origin o\ 



74 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 1>Q 



18 And the fruit "of righteous- 

a He. 12. 11. 



nature ; {b) making no distinction, that 
is, in the treatment of others, or im- 
partial towards them; or (c) without 
strife, from Stxtxpwcz, to contend. The 
second meaning here suggested seems 
best to accord with the sense of the 
passage, and according to this the idea 
is, that the wisdom which is from above, 
or true religion, makes us impartial in 
our treatment of others. That is, we 
are not influenced by a regard to dress, 
rank, or station, but we are disposed 
to do equal justice to all, according to 
their moral worth, arid to show kindness 
to all, according to their wants. See 
ch. ii. 1 — 4. Tf And without hypo- 
crisy. What it professes to be; sin- 
cere. There is no disguise or mask 
assumed. What the man pretends to 
be, he is. This is everywhere the na- 
ture of true religion. It has nothing 
of its own of which to be ashamed, and 
which needs to be concealed ; its office 
is not to hide or conceal any thing 
that is wrong. It neither is a mask, 
nor does it need a mask. If such is 
the nature of the « wisdom which is 
from above,' who is there that should 
be ashamed of it] Who is there that 
should not desire that its blessed influ- 
ence should spread around the world ] 
18. And the fruit of righteousness. 
That which the righteousness here re- 
ferred to produces, or that which is the 
effect of true religion. The meaning 
is, that righteousness cr true religion 
produces certain results on the life like 
the effects of seed sown in good ground. 
Righteousness or true religion as cer- 
tainly produces such effects, as seed 
that is sown produces a harvest. % Is 
sown in peace. Is scattered over the 
world in a peaceful manner. That is, 
it is not done amidst contentions, and 
brawls, and strifes. The farmer sows 
his seed in peace. The fields are not 
sown amidst the tumults of a mob, or 
thp excitements of a battle or a camp. 
Nothing is more calm, peaceful, quiet 



ness is sown in peace of them 
that make peace. 



and composed than the farmer, as he 
walks with measured tread over his 
fields, scattering his seed. So it is in 
sow r ing the « seed of the kingdom/ in 
preparing for the great harvest of 
righteousness in the world. It is done 
by men of peace ; it is done in peaceful 
scenes, and with a peaceful spirit ; it is 
not in the tumult of war, or amidst the 
hoarse brawling of a mob. In a pure 
and holy life ; in the peaceful scenes 
of the sanctuary and the Sabbath ; by 
noiseless and unobtrusive labourers, the 
seed is scattered over the world, and 
the result is seen in an abundant har- 
vest in producing peace and order, 
t Of them that make peace. By those 
who desire to produce peace, or who 
are of a peaceful temper and disposition. 
They are engaged everywhere in scat- 
tering these blessed seeds of peace, con- 
tentment, and order ; and the result 
shall be a lorious harvest for them- 
selves and for mankind — a harvest rich 
and abundant on earth and in heaven. 
The whole effect, therefore, of religion 
is to produce peace. It is all peace — > 
peace in its origin and in its results, 
in the heart of the individual, and in 
society ; on earth and in heaven. The 
idea with which the apostle commenced 
this chapter seems to have been that 
such persons only should be admitted 
to the office of public teachers. From 
that, the mind naturally turned to the 
effect of religion in general, and he 
states that in the ministry and out of 
it; in the heart of the individual and 
on society at large ; here and hereafter, 
the effect of religion is to produce 
peace. Its nature is peaceful as it ex- 
ists in the heart and as it is developed 
in the world ; and wherever and how 
ever it is manifested, it is like seei 
sown, not amid the storms of war and 
the contentions of battle, but in tho 
fields of quiet husbandry, producing in 
rich abundance a harvest of peace. In 
its origin, and in all its results, it la 



A. D. 60.] CHAPTER IV. 75 

CHAPTER IV. they not hence, even of your 

FROM whence come wars and 2 lusts that war ° in your members? 
1 fightings among yOU? 1 or, brawlings. 2 or, pleasures. alPe.2.11. 



productive only of contentment, sin- 
cerity, goodness, and peace. Happy 
he who has this religion in his heart; 
happy he who with liberal hand scatters 
ts blessings broadcast over the world ! 

CHAPTER IV. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

In the previous chapter (vs. 13 — 18) 
the apostle had contrasted the wisdom 
which is from above with that which 
is from beneath. The former is peace- 
able, pure, and gentle, leading to uni- 
versal kindness and order; the latter 
earthly, sensual, and devilish. The 
points suggested in this chapter grow 
directly out of the remarks made there, 
and are designed to show the effect of 
the < wisdom which descendeth not 
from above,' as evinced in the spirit of 
this world, and thus by contrast to 
show the value of true wisdom, or of 
the spirit of religion. Accordingly the 
apostle illustrates the effects of the 
wisdom of this world, or the spirit of 
this world, by showing what it pro- 
duces, or what they do who are under 
its influence. We are not to suppose 
that the persons to whom the apostle 
addressed this epistle were actually 
guilty of the things here referred to 
themselves, but such things had an ex- 
istence in the world, and it gave more 
life and spirit to the discussion to re- 
present them as existing < among them.' 
In illustrating the subject, he refers to 
the following things as resulting from 
the spirit that is opposite to the wisdom 
which is from above, viz. : (1.) Wars 
and fightings, which are to be traced 
solely to the lusts of men (vs. 1, 2); 
(2.) The neglect of prayer, showing 
the reason why they did not have the 
things which were necessary (ver. 2) ; 
(3.) The fact that when they prayed 
they did not obtain what they needed, 
because they prayed with improper 
motives, in order to have the means of 



gratifying their sensual desires (ver. 3); 
(4.) The desire of the friendship of the 
world as one of the fruits of being 
under the influence of the wisdom 
which is not from above (ver. 4) ; 
(5.) Envy, as another of these fruits, 
ver. 5. In view of these things, and 
of the danger to which they were ex. 
posed of acting under their influence, 
the apostle proceeds to give them some 
solemn cautions and admonitions. He 
tells them that God resists all who 
are proud, but gives grace to all who 
are humble (ver. 6) ; he counsels them 
to submit to God (ver. 7), to resist the 
devil (ver. 7), to draw nigh to God 
(ver. 8), to cleanse their hands and 
their hearts (ver. 8), to be afflicted 
and mourn over their sins, and to be- 
come serious and devout (ver. 9), and to 
humble themselves before God that he 
might lift them up (ver. 10) ; he com- 
mands them not to speak evil one of 
another, since by so doing they in fact 
set themselves up to be judges, and in 
the circumstances became judges of the 
law as well as of their brethren, vs. 11, 
12. He then rebukes the confident 
spirit which lays its plans for the future 
with no just view of the frailty and 
uncertainty of human life, and shows 
them that all their plans for the future 
should be formed with a distinct recog- 
nition of their dependence on God for 
success, and even for the continuance 
of life. vs. 13 — 16. The chapter closes 
with an affirmation that to him thai 
knows how to do good and does it not, 
to him it is sin (ver. 17), implying 
that ail he had said in the chapter 
might indeed be obvious, and that they 
would be ready to admit that these 
things were true, and that if they knew 
this, and did not do right, they must 
be regarded as guilty. 

1. From whence come wars ana 
fightings among you ? Marg. brawl- 
ings. The reference is to strifes and 



76 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60. 



contentions of all kinds ; and the ques- 
tion then, as it is now, was an import- 
ant one, what was their source or 
origin 1 The answer is given in the 
succeeding part of the verse. Some 
have supposed that the apostle refers 
here to the contests and seditions exist- 
ing among the Jews, which afterwards 
broke out in rebellion against the Ro- 
man authority, and which led to the 
overthrow of the Jewish nation. But 
the more probable reference is to do- 
mestic broils, and to the strifes of sects 
and parties; to the disputes which 
were carried on among the Jewish 
people, and which perhaps led to 
scenes of violence, and to popular out- 
breaks among themselves. When the 
apostle says « among you? it is not ne- 
cessary to suppose that he refers to 
those who were members of the Chris- 
tian church as actually engaged in 
these strifes, though he was writing to 
such ; but he speaks of them as a part 
of the Jewish people, and refers to the 
contentions which prevailed among 
them as apeople — contentions in which 
those who were Christian converts 
were in great danger of participating, 
by being drawn into their controversies, 
and partaking of the spirit of strife 
which existed among their country- 
men. It is known that such a spirit 
of contention prevailed among the Jews 
at that time in an eminent degree, and 
it was well to put those among them 
who professed to be Christians on 
their guard against such a spirit, by 
stating the causes of all wars and con- 
tentions. The solution which the 
apostle has given of the causes of the 
strifes prevailing then, will apply sub- 
stantially to all the wars which have 
ever existed on the earth. "J Come 
they not hence, even of your lusts ? Is 
not this the true source of all war and 
contention 1 The word rendered lusts 
is in the margin rendered pleasures. 
This is the usual meaning of the word 
(jjSwj^) » but it is commonly applied 
to the pleasures of sense, and thence 



denotes desire, appetite, lust. It mcy 
be applied to any desire of sensual 
gratification, and then to the indulgence 
of any corrupt propensity of the mind. 
The lust or desire of rapine, of plunder, 
of ambition, of fame, of a more ex- 
tended dominion, would be properly 
embraced in the meaning of the word. 
The word would equally comprehend 
the spirit which leads to a brawl in the 
street, and that which prompted to 
the conquests of Alexander, Caesar, or 
Napoleon. All this is the same spirit 
evinced on a larger or smaller scale. 

That war in your members. The 
word member ((Mhos) denotes properly 
a limb or member of the body ; but it 
is used in the New Testament to de- 
note the members of the body collec- 
tively ; that is, the body itself as the 
seat of the desires and passions. Rom. 
vi. ]3, 19 ; vii. 5, 23. Col. iii. 5. The 
word war here refers to the conflict 
between those passions which have 
their seat in the flesh, and the bet- 
ter principles of the mind and con- 
science, producing a state of agitation 
and conflict. See Notes on Rom. vii. 
23. Comp. Gal. v. 17. Those corrupt 
passions which have their seat in the 
flesh, the apostle says are the causes 
of war. Most of the wars which have 
occurred in the world can be traced to 
what the apostle here calls lusts. The 
desire of booty, the love of conquest, 
the ambition for extended rule, the 
gratification of revenge, these and simi- 
lar causes have led to all the wars that 
have desolated the earth. Justice, 
equity, the fear of God, the spirit of 
true religion, never originated any war, 
but the corrupt passions of men have 
made the earth one great battle-field. 
If true religion existed among all men, 
there would be no more war. Wai 
always supposes that wrong has been 
done on one side or the other, and that 
one party or the other, or both, is in- 
disposed to do right. The spirit of 
justice, equity, and truth, which the 
religion of Christ would implant in the 



A. D 60.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



77 



2 Ye lust, and have not: ye 
1 kill, and desire to have, and 

1 or, envy. 

human heart, would put an end to war 
for ever. 

2. Ye lust, and have not. That is, 
you wish to have something which 
you do not now possess, and to which 
you have no just claim, and this 
prompts to the effort to obtain it by 
force. You desire extension of terri- 
tory, fame, booty, the means of luxu- 
rious indulgence, or of magnificence 
and grandeur, and this leads to contest 
and bloodshed. These are the causes 
of wars on the large scale among na- 
tions, and of the contentions and strifes 
of individuals. The general reason is, 
that others have that which we have 
not, and which we desire to have ; and 
not content with endeavouring to ob- 
tain it, if we can, in a peaceful and 
honest manner, and not willing to con- 
tent ourselves without its possession, 
we resolve to secure it by force. Soc- 
rates is reported by Plato to have said 
on the day of his death, " nothing else 
but the body and its desires cause wars, 
seditions, and contests of every kind ; 
for all wars arise through the possession 
of wealth." Phaedo of Plato, by Taylor, 
London, 1793, p. 158. The system of 
wars in general, therefore, has been a 
system of great robberies, no more 
honest or honourable than the purposes 
of the foot-pad, and more dignified 
only because it involves greater skill 
and talent. It has been said that < to 
kill one man makes a murderer, to kill 
many makes a hero.' So it may be 
said that to steal a horse, or to rob a 
house makes a man a thief or burglar ; 
to fire a dwelling subjects him to the 
punishment of arson ; but to plunder 
kingdoms and provinces, and to cause 
cities, towns and hamlets to be wrap- 
ped in flames, makes an illustrious 
conqueror, and gives a title to what is 
deemed a bright page in history. The 
one enrols the name among felons, and 
7* 



cannot obtain : ye fight and war, 
yet ye have not, because ye ask 
not. 

consigns the perpetrator to the dungeon 
or the gibbet; the other, accompanied 
with no more justice, and with the same 
spirit, sends the name down to future 
times as immortal. Yet in the two the 
all-discerning eye of God may see no 
difference except in the magnitude of 
the crime, and in the extent of the injury 
which has been inflicted. In his way, 
and according to the measure of his abi- 
lity, the felon who ends his life in a dun- 
geon, or on the gibbet, is as worthy of 
grateful and honoured remembrance as 
the conqueror triumphing in the spoils 
of desolated empires. If Ye kill. Marg. 
« ox envy' The marginal reading * envy 1 
has been introduced from some doubt 
as to the correct reading of the text, 
whether it should be frovevts, ye kill, oi 
ty^ovsits, ye envy. The latter reading 
has been adopted by Erasmus, Schmi- 
dius, Luther, Beza, and some others, 
though merely from conjecture. There 
is no authority from the manuscripts 
for the change. The correct reading 
undoubtedly is, ye kill. This expres- 
sion is probably to be taken in the 
sense of having a murderous disposi- 
tion, or fostering a brutal and mur- 
derous spirit. It is not exactly that 
they killed or committed murder pre- 
vious to < desiring to have,' but that 
they had such a covetous desire of the 
possessions of others as to produce a 
murderous and bloody temper. The spi- 
rit of murder was at the bottom of the 
whole; or there was such a desire of 
the possessions of others as to lead to 
the commission of this crime. Of 
what aggressive wars which have evei 
existed is not this true ? IT Desin 
to have. That is, what is in the pos 
session of others. T\ And cannot ob*> 
tain. By any fair and honest means; 
by purchase or negociation, and this 
leads to bloody conquests. All wars 
might have been avoided if men had 



78 SAM 

3 Ye ask, and receive not, 

been content with what they had, or 
could rightfully obtain, and had not 
desired to have what was in the pos- 
session of others, which they could not 
obtain by honest and honourable means. 
Every war might have been avoided by 
fair and honourable negociation. IF Ye 
fight and war, yet ye have not, because 
ye ask not. Notwithstanding you en- 
gage in contentions and strifes, you do 
not obtain what you seek after. If you 
sought that from God which you truly 
need, you would obtain it, for he would 
bestow upon you all that is really ne- 
cessary. But you seek it by conten- 
tion and strife, and you have no secu- 
rity of obtaining it. He who seeks to 
gain any thing by war seeks it in an 
unjust manner, and cannot depend on 
the divine help and blessing. The 
true way of obtaining any thing which 
we really need is to seek it from God 
by prayer, and then to make use of 
just and fair means of obtaining it, by 
industry and honesty, and by a due re- 
gard for the rights of others. Thus 
sought, we shall obtain it if it would 
be for our good ; if it is withheld, it 
will be because it is best for us that it 
should not be ours. In all the wars 
which have been waged on the earth, 
whether for the settlement of disputed 
questions ; for the adjustment of boun- 
daries; for the vindication of violated 
rights; or for the permanent extension 
of empire ; how rare has it been that the 
object which prompted to the war has 
been secured ! The course of events 
has shown that, indisposed as men are to 
do justice, there is much more probability 
of obtaining the object by patient nego- 
ciation than there is by going to war. 

3. Ye ask and receive not. That is, 
some of you ask, or you ask on some 
occasions. Though seeking in general 
what you desire by strife, and without 
regard to the rights of others, yet you 
sometimes pray. It is not uncommon 
for men who go to war to pray, or to 
procure the services of a chaplain* to 



ES. [A.D. 60. 

because ye ask amiss, that ye 

pray for them. It sometimes happens 
that the covetous and the quarrelsome; 
that those who live to wrong others, 
and who are fond of litigation, pray. 
Such men may be professors of reli- 
gion. They keep up a form of wor- 
ship in their families. They pray for 
success in their worldly engagements, 
though those engagements are all based 
on covetousness. Instead of seeking 
property that they may glorify God 
and do good ; that they may relieve the 
poor and distressed ; that they may be 
the patrons of learning, philanthropy, 
and religion, they do it that they may 
live in splendor and be able to pamper 
their lusts. It is not indeed very com- 
mon that persons with such ends and 
aims of life pray, but they sometimes 
do it ; for, alas ! there are many profes- 
sors of religion who have no higher 
aims than these, and not a few such 
professors feel that consistency de- 
mands that they should observe some 
form of prayer. If such persons do 
not receive what they ask for ; if they 
are not prospered in their plans, they 
should not set it down as evidence that 
God does not hear prayer, but as evi- 
dence that their prayers are offered for 
improper objects, or with improper 
motives. *R Because ye ask amiss. Ye 
do it with a view to self-indulgence and 
carnal gratification. 1T That you may 
consume it upon your lusts. Marg. 
pleasures. This is the same word 
which is used in ver. 1, and rendered 
lusts. The reference is to sensual 
gratifications, and the word would in- 
clude all that comes under the name 
of sensual pleasure, or carnal appe- 
tite. It was not that they might 
have a decent and comfortable living, 
which would not be improper to de- 
sire, but that they might have the 
means of luxurious dress and living; 
perhaps the means of gross sensual 
gratifications. Prayers offered that 
we may have the means of sen- 
suality and voluptuousness, we have 



A D. 60.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



79 



may consume it upon your 
- 1 lusts. 

4 Ye adulterers and adulteress- 
es, know ye not that the friend- 

1 or, pleasures. 



no reason to suppose God will answer, 
f.>r he has not promised to hear such 
prayers ; and it becomes every one who 
prays for worldly prosperity, and tor 
success in business, to examine his 
motives with the closest scrutiny. No 
where is deception more likely to creep 
in than into such prayers; no where 
are we more likely to be mistaken in 
regard to our real motives than when 
we go before God and ask for success 
in our worldly employments. 

4. Ye adulterers and adulteresses. 
These words are frequently used to 
denote those who are faithless towards 
God, and are frequently applied to 
those who forsake God for idols. Hos. 
iii. 1. Isa. Ivii. 3, 7. Ezek. xvi., xxiii. 
It is not necessary to suppose that the 
apostle meant that those to whom he 
wrote were literally guilty of the sins 
here referred to, but he rather refers to 
those who were unfaithful to their -co- 
venant with God by neglecting their 
duty to him, and yielding themselves 
to the indulgence of their own lusts 
and passions. The idea is, « You have 
in effect broken your marriage cove- 
nant with God by loving the world 
more than him ; and, by the indulgence 
of your carnal inclinations, you have 
violated those obligations to self-morti- 
fication and self-denial to which you 
were bound by your religious engage- 
ments.' To convince them of the evil 
of this, the apostle shows then* what 
was the true nature of that friendship 
of the world which they sought. It 
may be remarked here, that no terms 
could have been found which would 
have shown more decidedly the nature 
of the sin of forgetting the covenant 
/ows of religion for the pleasures of the 
vorld. than those which the apostle 



ship °of the world is enmity with 
God? whosoever therefore will 
be a friend of the world, is the 
enemy of God. 

a 1 Jno. 2. 15. 



uses here. It is a deeper crime to be 
unfaithful to God than to any created 
being; and it will yet be seen that 
even the violation of the marriage con- 
tract, great as is the sin, is a slight 
offence compared with unfaithfulness 
toward God. IT Know ye not that the 
friendship of the world. Comp. 1 
John ii. 15. The term world here is 
to be understood not of the physical 
world as God made it, for we could 
not well speak of the 1 friendship' of 
that, but of the community, or people, 
called 1 the world? in contradistinction 
from the people of God. Comp. John 
xii. 31. 1 Cor. i. 20; iii. 19. Gal. iv 
3. Col. ii. 8. The « friendship of the 
world' Tfcv xoapov) is the love 

of that world ; of the maxims which 
govern it, the principles which reign 
there, the ends that are sought, the 
amusements and gratifications which 
characterize it as distinguished from 
the church of God. It consists in set- 
ting our hearts on those things ; in 
conforming to thern ; in making them 
the object of our pursuit with the same 
spirit with which they are sought by 
those who make no pretensions to reli- 
gion. See Notes, Rom. xii. 2. IT Is 
enmity with God. Is in fact hostility 
against God, since that world is arrayed 
against him. It neither obeys his laws, 
submits to his claims, nor seeks to 
honour him. To love that world is, 
therefore, to be arrayed against God, 
and the spirit which would lead us to 
this is in fact a spirit of hostility to 
God. IT Whosoever therefore will be 
a friend of the world. ' Whoever* he 
may be, whether in the church or out 
of it. The fact of being a member of 
the church makes no difference in this 
respect, for it is as easy to be a friend 



80 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 00 



of the world in the church as out of it. 
The phrase < whosoever wiW (j3oiAj?^) 
implies purpose, intention, design. It 
supposes that the heart is set on it ; or 
that there is a deliberate purpose to 
seek the friendship of the world. It 
refers to that strong desire which often 
exists, even among professing Chris- 
tians, to secure the friendship of the 
world ; to copy its fashions and vani- 
ties ; to enjoy its pleasures ; and to 
share its pastimes and its friendships. 
Wherever there is a manifested pur- 
pose to find our chosen friends and as- 
sociates there rather than among Chris- 
tians ; wherever there is a greater de- 
sire to enjoy the smiles and approbation 
of the world than there is to enjoy the 
approbation of God and the blessings 
of a good conscience ; and wherever 
there is more conscious pain because 
we have failed to win the applause of 
the world, or have offended its vota- 
ries, and have sunk ourselves in its es- 
timation, than there is because we have 
neglected our duty to our Saviour, and 
have lost the enjoyment of religion, 
there is the clearest proof that the heart 
wills or desires to be the « friend of the 
world.' IT Is the enemy of God. This 
is a most solemn declaration, and one 
of fearful import in its bearing on many 
who are members of the church. It 
settles the point that any one, no mat- 
ter what his professions, who is cha- 
racteristically a friend of the world, 
cannot be a true Christian. In regard 
to the meaning of this important verse, 
then, it may be remarked: (1.) That 
there is a sense in which the love of 
this world, or of the physical universe, 
is not wrong. That kind of love for 
it as the work of God, which perceives 
the evidence of his wisdom and good- 
ness and power in the various objects 
of beauty, usefulness and grandeur 
spread around us, is not evil. The 
world as such — the physical structure 
of the earth — of the mountains, forests, 
flowers, seas, lakes and vales, is full of 
illustrations of the divine character, 



and it cannot be wrong to contemplate 
those things with interest, or with warm 
affection toward their Creator. (2.) 
When that world, however, becomes 
our portion ; when we study it only as 
a matter of science, without < looking 
through nature up to Nature's God ;' 
when we seek the wealth which it has 
to confer, or endeavour to appropriate 
as our supreme portion its lands, its 
minerals, its fruits; when we are satis- 
fied with what it yields, and when in 
the possession or pursuit of these things 
our thoughts never rise to God ; and 
when we partake of the spirit which 
rules in the hearts of those who avow- 
edly seek this world as their portion, 
though we profess religion, then the 
love of the world becomes evil, and 
comes in direct conflict with the spirit 
of true religion. (3.) The statement 
in this verse is, therefore, one of most 
fearful import for many professors of 
religion. There are many in the church 
who, so far as human judgment can 
go, are characteristically lovers of the 
world. Hiis is shown (a) by their 
conformity to it in all in which the 
world id distinguished from the church 
as such ; (b) in their seeking the friend- 
ship of the world, or their finding their 
friends there rather than among Chris- 
tians ; (c) in preferring the amusements 
of the world to the scenes where spi- 
ritually-minded Christians find their 
chief happiness ; (c?) in pursuing the 
same pleasures that the people of the 
world do, with the same expense, the 
same extravagance, the same luxury • 
(e) in making their worldly interests 
the great object of living, and every 
thing else subordinate to that. This 
spirit exists in all cases where no 
worldly interest is sacrificed for reli- 
gion ; where every thing that religion 
peculiarly requires is sacrificed for the 
world. If this be so, then there are 
many professing Christians who are 
the « enemies of God.' See Notes on 
Phil. iii. 18. They have never known 
what is true friendship for him, and by 



A. D. 60.] CHAPT 

5 Do ye think that the Scrip- 
ture saith in vain, The spirit that 

their lives they show that they can 
be ranked only among his foes. It 
becomes every professing Christian, 
therefore, to examine himself with the 
deepest earnestness to determine whe- 
ther he is characteristically a friend of 
the world or of God ; whether he is 
living for this life only, or is animated 
by the high and pure principles of those 
who are the friends of God. The 
great Searcher of hearts cannot be de- 
ceived, and soon our appropriate place 
will be assigned us, and our final Judge 
will determine to which class of the 
two great divisions of the human fa- 
mily we belong — to those who are the 
friends of the world, or to those who 
are the friends of God. 

5. Do ye think that the Scripture 
saith in vain. Few passages of the 
New Testament have given expositors 
more perplexity than this. The diffi- 
culty has arisen from the fact that no 
such passage as that which seems here 
to be quoted is found in the Old Tes- 
tament ; and to meet this difficulty 
expositors have resorted to various con- 
jectures and solutions. Some have 
supposed that the passage is spurious, 
and that it was at first a gloss in the 
margin, placed there by some tran- 
scriber, and was then introduced into 
the text; some, that the apostle quotes 
from an apocryphal book; some, that 
he quotes the general spirit of the Old 
Testament rather than any particular 
place ; some regard it not as a quota- 
tion, but read the two members sepa- 
rately, supplying what is necessary to 
complete the sense, thus: 6 Do you 
think that the Scripture speaks in vain, 
or without a good reason, when it con- 
demns such a worldly temper P No ; 
that you cannot suppose. Do you 
imagine that the Spirit of God, which 
dwelleth in us Christians, leads to co- 
vetousness, pride, envy 1 No. On the 
contrary, to such as follow his guidance 



'EE IV. 81 
dwelleth in us iusteth l to en/y? 6 

1 enviously. a Ec. 4. 4. 

and direction, he gives more abundant 
grace and favour.' This is the solution 
proposed by Benson and adopted by 
Bloomfield. But this solution is by 
no means satisfactory. Two things 
are clear in regard to the passage : (1.) 
That James meant to adduce some- 
thing that was said somewhere, or 
which could be regarded as a quotation, 
or as authority in the case, for he uses 
the formula by which such quotations 
are made; and (2.) That he meant to 
refer, not to an apocryphal book, but 
to the inspired and canonical Scrip- 
tures, for he uses a term (jy ypou^), 
' the Scripture? which is everywhere 
employed to denote the Old Testament, 
and which is nowhere applied to an 
apocryphal book. Matt. xxi. 42; xxii. 
29 ; xxvi. 54, 56. John ii. 22 ; v. 39 ; 
vii. 38, 42 ; x. 35, et al The word 
is used more than fifty times in the 
New Testament, and is never applied 
to any books but those which were re- 
garded by the Jews as inspired, and 
which constitute now the Old Testa- 
ment, except in 2 Pet. iii. 16, where it 
refers to the writings of Paul. The. 
difficulty in the case arises from the 
fact that no such passage as the one 
here quoted is found in so many words 
in the Old Testament, nor any of which 
it can fairly be regarded as a quotation. 
The only solution of the difficulty 
which seems to me to be at all satis- 
factory, is to suppose that the apostle, 
in the remark made here in the form 
of a quotation, refers to the Old Testa- 
ment, but that he had not his eye on 
any particular passage, and did not 
mean to quote the words literally, but 
meant to refer to what was the current 
teaching or general spirit of the Old 
Testament ; or that he meant to say 
that this sentiment was found there, 
and designed himself to embody the 
sentiment in words, and to put it into 
a condensed form. His eye wa* do 



82 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60. 



envy as at the bottom of many of the 
contentions and strifes existing on earth 
(ch. iii. 16), and of the spirit of the 
world which prevailed everywhere (ch. 
iv. 4), and he refers to the general 
teaching of the Old Testament that the 
soul is by nature inclined to envy ; or 
that this has a deep lodgment in the 
heart of man. That truth which was 
uttered everywhere in the Scriptures, 
was not taught « in vain. 7 The abun- 
dant facts which existed showing its 
de 'elopment and operation in conten- 
tions, and wars, and a worldly spirit, 
proved that it was deeply imbedded in 
the human soul. This general truth, 
that man is prone to envy, or that there 
is much in our nature which inclines 
us to it, is abundantly taught in the 
Old Testament. Eccl. iv. 4. « I con- 
sidered all travail, and every right work, 
that for this a man is envied of his 
neighbour." Job v. 2. « Wrath killeth, 
and envy slayeth the silly one." Prov. 
xiv. 30. " Envy is the rottenness of the 
bones." Prov. xxvii. 4. " Who is able 
to stand before envy?" For particular 
instances of this, and the effects, see 
Gen, xxvi. 14; xxx. 1; xxxvii. 11. 
Ps. cvi. 16; lxxiii. 3. These passages 
prove that there is a strong propensity 
in human nature to envy, and it was 
in accordance with the design of the 
apostle to show this. The effects of 
envy to which he himself referred 
evinced the same thing, and demon- 
strated that the utterance given to this 
sentiment in the Old Testament was 
not 4 in vain/ or was not false, for the 
records in the Old Testament on the 
subject found a strong confirmation in 
the wars and strifes and worldliness of 
which he was speaking. Saith in 
vain. < Says falsely ;' that is, the tes- 
timony thus borne is true. The apostle 
means that what was said in the Old 
Testament on the subject found abun- 
dant confirmation in the facts which 
were continually occurring, and espe- 
cially in those to which he was advert- 
ing. IT The spirit that dwelkth in us. 



Many have supposed that the word 
spirit here refers to the Holy Spirit, or 
the Christian spirit ; but in adopting 
this interpretation they are obliged to 
render the passage *■ the spirit that dwells 
in us lusteth against envy,' or tends 
to check and suppress it. But this in- 
terpretation is forced and unnatural, 
and one which the Greek will not well 
bear. The more obvious interpretation 
is to refer it to our spirit or disposition 
as we are by nature, and it is equiva- 
lent to saying that we are naturally 
prone to envy. IT Lusteth to envy. 
Strongly tends to envy. The margin 
is « enviously ,' but the sense is the 
same. The idea is, that there is in 
man a strong inclination to look with 
dissatisfaction on the superior happi- 
ness and prosperity of others ; to desire 
to make what they possess our own ; 
or at any rate to deprive them of it by 
detraction, by fraud, or by robbery. 
It is this feeling which leads to ca- 
lumny, to contentions, to wars, and 
to that strong worldly ambition which 
makes us anxious to surpass all others, 
and which is so hostile to the humble 
and contented spirit of religion. He 
who could trace all wars and conten- 
tions and worldly plans to their source 
— all the schemes and purposes of even 
professed Christians, that do so much 
to mar their religion and to make them 
worldly-minded, to their real origin — 
would be surprised to find how much 
is to be attributed to envy. We are 
pained that others are more prosperous 
than we are ; we desire to possess what 
others have, though w T e have no right 
to it, and this leads to the various 
guilty methods which are pursued to 
lessen their enjoyment of it, or to ob- 
tain it ourselves, or to show that they 
do not possess as much as they are 
commonly supposed to. This purpose 
will be accomplished if we can ob- 
tain more -than they have; or if we 
can diminish what they actually pos. 
sess ; or if by any statements to which 
we can give currency in society the* 



\. D 60.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



6 But he givetn more grace: 
Wherefore he saith, °God resist- 

a Pr. 29. 23. 

general impression shall be that they 
do not possess as much wealth, domes- 
tic peace, happiness, or honour, as is 
commonly supposed — for thus the spi- 
rit of envy in our bosoms will be gra- 
tified. 

6. But he giveth more grace. The 
reference here is undoubtedly to God. 
Some have regarded this clause as a 
continuation of the quotation in the 
previous verse, but it is rather to be 
considered as a declaration of the 
apostle himself. The writer had just 
spoken of envy, and of the crimes 
which grew out of it. He thought of 
»he wars and commotions of the earth, 
and of the various lusts which reigned 
among men. In the contemplation of 
these things, it seems suddenly to have 
occurred to him that all were not under 
the influence of these things ; that 
there were cases where men were re- 
strained, and where a spirit opposite to 
these things prevailed. Another pas- 
sage of Scripture struck his mind, con- 
taining the truth that there was a class 
of men to whom God gave grace to 
restrain these passions, and to subdue 
these carnal propensities. They were 
the humble, in contradistinction to the 
proud ; and he states the fact that « God 
giveth more grace ;' that is, that in 
some instances he confers more grace 
than in the cases referred to ; to some 
he gives more grace to overcome their 
evil passions, and to subdue their cor- 
rupt inclinations, than he does to others. 
The meaning may be thus expressed : 
<It is true that the natural spirit in 
man is one that tends to envy, and 
thus leads to all the sad consequences 
of envy. But there are instances in 
which higher grace or favour is con- 
ferred ; in which these feelings are sub- 
dued, and these consequences are pre- 
vented. They are not indeed to be 
Sound among the proud, whom God 



eth the proud, but giveth grace 
unto the humble. 



always resists ; but they are to be 
found among the meek and the humble. 
Wherefore submit yourselves to his 
arrangements; resist the devil; draw 
nigh to God ; purify yourselves, and 
weep over your past offences, and you 
shall find that the Lord will lift you 
up, and bestow his favour upon you.' 
ver. 10. IT Wherefore he saith. The 
reference here is toProv.iii.34: « Surely 
he scorneth the scorners ; but he giveth 
grace unto the lowly." The quotation 
is made exactly from the Septuagint, 
which, though not entirely literal, ex- 
presses the sense of the Hebrew with- 
out essential inaccuracy. This passage 
is also quoted in 1 Pet. v. 5. IT God re- 
sisteth the proud. The proud are 
those who have an inordinate self- 
esteem ; who have a high and unrea- 
sonable conceit of their own excellence 
or importance. This may extend to 
any thing ; to beauty, or strength, or 
attainments, or family, or country, or 
equipage, or rank, or even religion. A 
man may be proud of any thing that 
belongs to him, or which can in any- 
way be construed as a part of himself, 
or as pertaining to him. This does 
not, of course, apply to a correct esti- 
mate of ourselves, or to the mere know- 
ledge that we may excel others. One 
may know that he has more strength, 
or higher attainments in learning or in 
the mechanic arts, or greater wealth 
than others, and yet have properly no 
pride in the case. He has only a 
correct estimate of himself, and he at- 
taches no undue importance to himself 
on account of it. His heart is not 
lifted up; he claims no undue defer- 
ence to himself; he concedes to ail 
others what is their due; and he is 
humble before God, feeling that all that 
he has, and is, is nothing in his sight. 
He is willing to occupy his appropriate 
place in the sight of God and men, and 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60 



7 Submit yourselves therefore 

a 1 Pe. 5. 9. 

to 1)8 esteemed just as he is. Pride 
goes beyond this, and gives to a man a 
degree of self-estimation which is not 
warranted by any thing that he pos- 
sesses. God looks at things as they 
are ; and hence he abhors and humbles 
this arrogant claim. Lev. xxvi. 19. Job 
sxxiii. 17. Ps. lix. 12. Prov. viii. 13; 
xvi. 18; xxix. 13. Isa. xxiii. 9 ; xxviii. 
1. Dan. iv. 37. Zech. x. 1 1. This re- 
sistance of pride he shows not only in 
the explicit declarations of his word, 
but in the arrangements of his provi- 
dence and grace. ( 1 .) In his providence, 
in the reverses and disappointments 
which occur; in the necessity of 
abandoning the splendid mansion which 
we had built, or in disappointing us in 
some favourite plan by which our pride 
was to be nurtured and gratified. (2.) 
In sickness, taking away the beauty 
and strength on which we had so much 
valued ourselves, and bringing us to 
the sad condition of a sick-bed. (3.) 
In the grave, bringing us down to cor- 
ruption and worms. Why should one 
be proud who will soon become so 
offensive to his best friends that they 
will gladly hide him in the grave? (4.) 
In the plan of salvation he opposes 
our pride. Not a feature of that plan 
is fitted to foster pride, but all is adapted 
to make us humble, (a) The neces- 
sity for the plan — that we are guilty 
and helpless sinners • (&) the selection 
of a Saviour — one who was so poor, and 
who was so much despised by the 
world, and who was put to death on a 
cross ; (c) our entire dependence on 
him for salvation, with the assurance 
that we have no merit of our own, and 
that salvation is all of grace; (d) the 
fact that we are brought to embrace it 
only by the agency of the Holy Spirit, 
and that if we were left to ourselves 
we should never have one right thought 
or holy desire — all this is fitted to 
humble us, and to bring us low before 



to God. Resist *the. devil, and 
he will flee from you. 

God. God has done nothing to foster 
the self-estimation of the human heart; 
but how much has he done to * stain 
the pride of all glory !' See Notes on 
Isa. xxiii. 9. IT But giveth grace unto 
the humble. The meaning is, that he 
shows them favour ; he bestows upon 
them the grace needful to secure their 
salvation. This he does (1.) because 
they feel their need of his favour; (2.) 
because they will welcome his teaching 
and value his friendship; (3.) because 
all the arrangements of his grace are 
adapted only to such a state of mind. 
You cannot teach one who is so wise 
that he already supposes he knows 
enough ; you cannot bestow grace on 
one who has no sense of the need of 
it. The arrangements of salvation are 
adapted only to an humble heart. 

7. Submit yourselves therefore to * 
God. That is, in his arrangements for 
obtaining his favour. Yield to what 
he has judged necessary for your wel- 
fare in the life that is, and your salva- 
tion in the life to come. The duty 
here enjoined is that of entire acqui 
escence in the arrangements of God, 
whether in his providence or grace 
All these are for our good, and submis 
sion to them is required by the spirit 
of true humility. The object of the 
command here, and in the succeeding 
injunctions to particular duties, is tr 
show them how they might obtain the 
grace which God is willing to bestow, 
and how they might overcome the evils 
against which the apostle had been en- 
deavouring to guard them. The true 
method of doing this is by submitting 
ourselves in all things to God. 1 Re 
sist the devil, and he will Jlee from you 
While you yield to God in all things, 
you are to yield to the devil in none. 
You are to resist and oppose him in 
whatever way he may approach you, 
whether by allurements, by flattering 
promises, by the fascinations af thtf 



A. D. 60.] CHAPT 
8 Draw "nigh to God, and he 

a2Ch. 15. 2. 

world, by temptation, or by threats. 
See 1 Pet. v. 9. Satan makes his way, 
and secures his triumphs, rather by art, 
cunning, deception, and threatenings, 
than by true courage ; and when op- 
posed manfully he flies. The true way 
of meeting him is by direct resistance, 
rather than by argument ; by stead- 
fastly refusing to yield in the slightest 
degree, rather than by a belief thai we 
can either convince him that he is 
wrong, or can return to virtue when 
we have gone a certain length in com- 
plying with his demands. No one is 
safe who yields in the least to the sug- 
gestions of the tempter; there is no 
one who is not safe if he does not 
yield. A man, for example, is always 
safe from intemperance if he resists all 
allurements to indulgence in strong 
drink, and never yields in the slightest 
degree ; no one is certainly safe if he 
drinks even moderately. 

8. Draw nigh to God, and he will 
draw nigh to you. Comp. 2 Chron. 
xv. 2. This declaration contains a 
great and important principle in reli- 
gion. If we wish the favour of God, 
we must come to him; nor can we 
hope for his mercy unless we approach 
him and ask him for it. We cannot 
come literally any nearer to God than 
we always are, for he is always round 
about us, but we may come nearer in 
a spiritual sense. We may address 
him directly in prayer; we may ap- 
proach him by meditation on his char- 
acter; we may draw near to him in 
the ordinances of religion. We can 
never hope for his favour while we 
prefer to remain at a distance from 
him ; none who in fact draw near to 
him will find him unwilling to bestow 
on them the blessings which they need. 
1 Cleanse your hands, ye sinners. 
There may possibly be an allusion here 
to Isa. i. 15, 16. " Your hands are full 
biood ; wash you, make you clean ; 



ER IV. m 
will draw nigh to you. Cleanse* 

&Is. 1. 16. Ps. 32.9. 

put away the evil of your doings from 
before mine eyes ; cease to do evil.'' 
The heart is the seat of motives and 
intentions — that by which we devise 
any thing; the hands the instruments 
by which we execute our purposes. The 
hands here are represented as defiled 
by blood, or by acts of iniquity. To 
vjash or cleanse the hands was, there- 
fore, emblematic of putting away trans- 
gression. Matt, xxvii. 24. Comp. Deut. 
xxi. 6. Ps. xxvi. 6. The heathen and 
the Jews were accustomed to wash 
their hands before they engaged in 
public worship. The particular idea 
here is, that in order to obtain the 
favour of God, it is necessary to put 
away our sins; to approach him with 
a purpose and desire to be pure 
and holy. The mere washing of 
the hands, in itself, could not recom- 
mend us to his favour; but that of 
which the washing of the hands would 
be an emblem, would be acceptable in 
his sight. It may be inferred from 
what is said here that no one can hope 
for the favour of God who does not 
abandon his transgressions. The de- 
sign of the apostle is, evidently, to 
state one of the conditions on which 
we can make an acceptable approach 
to God. It is indispensable that we 
come with a purpose and desire to 
wash ourselves from all iniquity, to put 
away from us all our transgressions. 
So David said, " I will wash my hands 
in innocency ; so will I compass thine 
altar, O Lord." Ps. xxvi. 6. %And 
purify your hearts. That is, do not 
rest satisfied with a mere external refor- 
mation ; with putting away your out- 
ward transgressions. There must be 
a deeper work than that; a work which 
shall reach to the heart, and which 
shall purify the affections. This agrees 
with all the requisitions of the Bible, 
and is in accordance with what mus* 
be the nature of religion. If the hear! 



8ii 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60. 



your b mds, sinners : and puri- 
fy j/owr hearts, ye double-minded. 

9 Be afflicted, and mourn, and 
weep : let your laughter be turned 



is wrong, nothing can be right. If, 
while we seek an external reformation, 
we stiil give indulgence to the secret 
corruptions of the heart, it is clear 
that we can have no true religion. 
II" Ye double-minded* See Notes on 
ch. i. 8. The apostle here seems to 
have had his eye on those who were 
vacillating in their purposes; whose 
hearts were not decidedly fixed, but 
who were halting between good and 
evil. The heart was not right in such 
persons. It was not settled and deter- 
mined in favour of religion, but vibrated 
between that and the world. The pro- 
per business of such persons, therefore, 
was to cleanse the heart from disturb- 
ing influences, that it might settle down 
in unwavering attachment to that which 
is good. 

9. Be afflicted, and mourn, and 
weep. That is, evidently, on account 
of your sins. The sins to which the 
apostle refers are those which he had 
specified in the previous part of the 
chapter, and which he had spoken of 
as so evil in their nature, and so dan- 
gerous in their tendency. The word 
rendered < be afflicted,' means properly 
to endure toil or hardship ; then to en- 
dure affliction or distress, and here 
means that they were to afflict them- 
selves that is, they were to feel dis- 
tressed and sad on account of their 
transgressions. Comp. Ezra viii. 21. 
The other words in this clause are 
those which are expressive of deep 
grief or sorrow. The language here 
used shows that the apostle supposed 
that it was possible that those who had 
done wrong should voluntarily feel 
sorrow for it, and that, therefore, it was 
proper to call upon them te do it. 
f Let your laughter be turned to 
mourning. It would seem that the 



to mourning, and your joy to 
heaviness. 

10 Humble "yourselves in the 

a Mat. 23. 12. 



persons referred to, instead of suitable 
sorrow and humiliation on account of 
sin, gave themselves to joyousness, 
mirth, and revelry. See a similar in- 
stance in Isa. xxii. 12, 13. It is often 
the case, that those for whom the deep 
sorrows of repentance would be pecu- 
liarly appropriate, give themselves to 
mirth and vanity. The apostle here 
says that such mirth did not become 
them. Sorrow, deep and unfeigned, 
was appropriate on account of their 
sins, and the sound of laughter and of 
revelry should be changed to notes of 
lamentation. To how many of the 
assemblies of the vain, the gay, and the 
dissipated, might the exhortation in 
this passage with propriety be now ad- 
dressed ! IT Your joy to heaviness. 
The word here rendered heaviness oc- 
curs nowhere else in the New Testa- 
ment. It means dejection, sorrow. It 
is not gloom, melancholy, or morose- 
ness, but it is sorrow on account of sin. 
God has so made us that we should 
feel sorrow when we are conscious that 
we have done wrong, and it is appro 
priate that we should do so. 

10. Humble yourselves in the sighl 
of the Lord. Comp. Matt, xxiii. 12. 
See Notes on ver. 6. That is, Be 
willing to take your appropriate place 
in the dust on account of your trans- 
gressions. This is to be 'in the sight 
of the Lord,' or before him. Our sins 
have been committed against him, and 
their principal aggravation, whoever 
may have been wronged by them, and 
great as is their criminality in other 
respects, arises from that consideration. 
Ps. li. 4. « Against thee, thee only, 
have I sinned, and done this evil in thy 
sight." Luke xv. 18. " I will arise 
and go to my father, and will say to 
him, Father, I have sinned against 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



8fJ 



sight of the Lord, and he shall 
lift you up. 

11 Speak °not evil one of an- 

cEp. 4. 31. IPe. 2. 1. 



heaven, and before thee." As the 
Being against whom we have sinned 
is the only one who can pardon, it is 
proper that we should humble ourselves 
before him with penitent confession. 
IT And he shall lift you up. He .will 
exalt you from the condition of a bro- 
ken-hearted penitent to that of a for- 
given child ; will wipe away your tears, 
remove the sadness of your heart, fill 
you with joy, and clothe you with the 
garments of salvation. This declara- 
tion is in accordance with all the pro- 
mises in the Bible, and with all the 
facts which occur on the earth, that 
God is willing to show mercy to the 
humble and contrite, and to receive 
those who are truly penitent into his 
favour. Comp. Luke xv. 22. 

11. Speak not evil one of another, 
brethren. It is not known to whom 
the apostle here particularly refers, nor 
is it necessary to know. It is probable 
that among those whom he addressed 
there were some who were less circum- 
spect in regard to speaking of others 
than they should be, and perhaps this 
evil prevailed. There are few commu- 
nities where such an injunction would 
not be proper at any time, and few 
churches where some might not be 
found to whom the exhortation would 
be appropriate. Comp. Notes on Eph. 
iv. 31. 1 Pet. ii. 1. The evil here re- 
ferred to is that of talking against 
others — against their actions, their mo- 
tives, their manner of living, their fa- 
milies, &c. Few things are more 
common in the world ; nothing is more 
decidedly against the true spirit of re- 
ligion. IT He that speaketh evil of his 
brother. Referring here probably to a 
Christian brother, or to a fellow Chris- 
tian. The word may however be used 
vii a larger sense to denote any one — 



other, brethren. He that speak- 
eth evil of his brother, and judg- 
eth his brother, speaketh evil of 
the law, and judgeth the law. 



a brother of the human race. Religion 
forbids both, and would restrain us 
from all evil speaking against any hu- 
man being. ^ And judgeth his brother. 
His motives, or his conduct. See Notes 
on Matt. vii. 1. IT Speaketh evil of 
the law, and judgeth the law. Instead 
of manifesting the feelings of a brother, 
he sets himself up as a judge, and not 
only a judge of his brother, but a judge 
of the law. The law here referred to 
is probably the law of Christ, or the 
rule which all Christians profess to 
obey. It is that which James elsewhere 
calls the « law of liberty' (Notes, ch. i. 
25) ; the law which released men from 
the servitude of the Jewish rites, and 
gave them liberty to worship God with- 
out the restraint and bondage (Acts 
xv. 10. Gal. iv. 21—31) implied in 
that ancient system of worship; and 
the law by which it was contemplated 
that they should be free from sin. It 
is not absolutely certain to what the 
apostle refers here, but it would seem 
probable that it is to some course of 
conduct which one portion of the church 
felt they were at liberty to follow, but 
which another portion regarded as 
wrong, and for which they censured 
them. The explanation which will 
best suit the expressions here used, is 
that which supposes that it refers to 
some difference of opinion which exist- 
ed among Christians, especially among 
those of Jewish origin, about the bind- 
ing nature of the Jewish laws, in regard 
to circumcision, to holy days, to cere- 
monial observances, to the distinctions 
of meats, &c. A part regarded the law 
on these subjects as still binding, an- 
other portion supposed that the obliga« 
tion in regard to these matters had 
ceased by the introduction of the gos- 
pel. Those who regarded the obliga* 



88 



but If thou judge the law, thou 
art not a doer of the law, but a 
Hge. 

tion of the Mosaic law as still binding, 
would of course judge their brethren, 
and regard them as guilty of a disre- 
gard of the law of God by their con- 
duct. We know that differences of 
opinion on these points gave rise to 
contentions, and to the formation of 
parties in the church, and that it re- 
quired all the wisdom of Paul and of 
the other apostles to hush the contend- 
ing elements to peace. Comp. Notes 
on Col. ii. 16 — 18. To some such 
source of contention the apostle doubt- 
less refers here ; and the meaning pro- 
bably is, that they who held the opinion 
that all the Jewish ceremonial laws 
were still binding on Christians, and 
who judged and condemned their bre- 
thren who did not, hy such a course 
judged and condemned 'the law of 
liberty' under which they acted ; the 
law of Christianity that had abolished 
the ceremonial observances, and re- 
leased men from their obligation. The 
judgment which they passed, there- 
fore, was not only on their brethren, 
but was on that law of Christianity 
which had given greater liberty of con- 
science, and which was intended to 
abolish the obligation of the Jewish 
ritual. The same thing now occurs 
when we judge others for a course 
which their consciences approve, be- 
cause they do not deem it necessary to 
comply with all the rules which we 
think to be binding. Not a few of the 
harsh judgments which one class of 
religionists pronounce on others are in 
fact judgments on the laws of Christ. 
We set up our own standards, or our 
own interpretations, and then we judge 
others for not complying with them, 
when in fact they may be acting only 
as the law of Christianity properly un- 
derstood would allow them to do. They 
who set up the claim to a right to judge 
the conduct of others, should be cer- 



JAMES. • [A. D. 60. 

12 There is one Lawgiver, 
who a is able to save and to de- 

a Mat. 10. 28. 



tain that they understand the nature 
of religion themselves. It may be pre- 
sumed, unless there is evidence to the 
contrary, that others are as conscien- 
tious as we are ; and it may commonly 
be supposed that they who differ from 
us have some reason for what they do, 
and may be desirous of glorifying their 
Lord and Master, and that they may 
possibly be right. It is commonly 
not safe to judge hastily of a man who 
has turned his attention to a particular 
subject, or to suppose that he has no 
reasons to allege for his opinions or 
conduct. IT But if thou judge the 
law, thou art not a doer of the law, 
but a judge. It is implied here that it 
is the simple duty of every Christian 
to obey the law. He is not to assume 
the office of a judge about its propriety 
or fitness, but he is to do what he sup- 
poses the law to require of him, and is 
to allow others to do the same. Our 
business in religion is not to make 
laws, or to declare what they should 
have been, or to amend those that are 
made; it is simply to obey those which 
are appointed, and to allow others to 
do the same, as they understand them. 
It would be well for all individual 
Christians, and Christian denomina- 
tions, to learn this, and to imbibe the 
spirit of charity to which it would 
prompt. 

12. There is one Lawgiver. There 
is but one who has a right to give law. 
The reference here is undoubtedly to 
the Lord Jesus Christ, the great Legis- 
lator of the church. This too is a 
most important and vital principle, 
though one that has been most imper- 
fectly understood and acted on. The 
tendency everywhere has been to enact 
other laws than those appointed by 
Christ — the laws of synods and coun- 
cils — and to claim that Christians are 
bound to observe them, and should W 



A D. 60.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



stroy: who art thou that judgest 
another ? 



punished if they do not. But it is a 
fundamental principle in Christianity 
that no laws are binding on the con- 
Bcien3e but those which Christ has or- 
dained, and that all attempts to make 
other laws pertaining to religion bind- 
ing on the conscience is a usurpation 
of his prerogatives. The church is 
safe while it adheres to this as a set- 
tled principle ; it is not safe when it 
submits to any legislation in religious 
matters as binding the conscience. 
IT Who is able to save and destroy, 
Comp. Matt. x. 28. The idea here 
would seem to be, that he is able to 
save those whom you condemn, and to 
destroy you who pronounce a judgment 
on them. Or, in general, it may 
mean that he is entrusted with all 
power, and is abundantly able to admi- 
nister his government ; to restrain 
where it is necessary to restrain ; to 
save where it is proper to save ; to 
punish where it is just to punish. The 
whole matter pertaining to judgment, 
therefore, may be safely left in his 
hands ; and, as he is abundantly quali- 
fied for it, we should not usurp his 
prerogatives. IT Who art thou that 
judgest another ? t Who art thou, a 
weak and frail and erring mortal, thy- 
self accountable to that Judge, that thou 
shouldst interfere, and pronounce judg- 
ment on another, especially when he 
is doing only what that Judge permits 
him to do!' See this sentiment ex- 
plained at length in the Notes on Rom. 
xiv. 4. Comp. Notes, Rom. ii. 1, and 
Matt. vii. 1, There is nothing more 
decidedly condemned in the Scriptures 
than the habit of pronouncing a judg- 
ment on the motives and conduct of 
others. There is nothing in which we 
are more liable to err, or to indulge in 
wrong feelings ; and there is nothing 
which God claims more for himself as 
his peculiar prerogative. 

13. Go to now. The apostle here | 
8* 



13 Go to now, ye that say, 
To-day or to-morrow we will go 

introduces a new subject, and refers to 
another fault which was doubtless pre- 
valent among them, as it is everywhere, 
that of a presumptuous confidence re- 
specting the future, or of forming plans 
stretching into the future without any 
proper sense of the uncertainty of life, 
and of our absolute dependence on 
God. The phrase 4 go to now' ( r Ays 
vvv), is a phrase designed to arrest at- 
tention, as if there were something that 
demanded their notice, and especially, 
as in this case, with the implied thought 
that that to which the attention is called 
is wrong. See ch. v. 1. Comp. Gen. 
xi. 7. Isa. i. 18. IT Ye that say. You 
that form your plans in this manner, 
or that speak thus confidently of what 
you will do in the future. The word 
say here probably refers to what was 
in their thoughts, rather than to what 
was openly expressed. IT To-day or 
to-morrow we will go into such a city. 
That is, they say this without any pro- 
per sense of the uncertainty of life, and 
of their absolute dependence on God. 
U And continue there a year. Fixing 
a definite time; designating the exact 
period during which they would remain, 
and when they would leave, without 
any reference to the will of God. The 
apostle undoubtedly means to refer here 
to this, as a mere specimen of what he 
would reprove. It cannot be supposed 
that he refers to this single case alone 
as wrong. All plans are wrong that 
are formed in the same spirit. " The 
practice to which the apostle here al- 
ludes," says the editor of the Pictorial 
Bible, " is very common in the East to 
this day, among a very respectable and 
intelligent class of merchants. They 
convey the products of one place to 
some distant city, where they remain 
until they have disposed of their own 
goods and have purchased others suit- 
able for another distant market ; and 
thus the operation is repeated, until 



JO 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60 



into such a city, and continue I 14 Whereas, ye know not 
there a year, and buy and sell, what shall be on the morrow: 



and get gain : 



after a number of years, the trader is 
enabled to return prosperously to his 
home. Or, again, a shopkeeper or a 
merchant takes only the first step in 
this process — conveying to a distant 
town, where the best purchases of his 
own line are to be made, such goods 
as are likely to realize a profit, and re- 
turning, without any farther step, with 
a stock for his own concern. These 
operations are seldom very rapid, as 
the adventurer likes to wait opportuni- 
ties for making advantageous bargains ; 
and sometimes opens a shop in the 
place to which he comes, to sell by re- 
tail the goods which he has bought." 
The practice is common in India. See 
Roberts' Oriental Illustrations, f And 
buy and sell, and get gain. It is not 
improbable that there is an allusion 
here to the commercial habits of the 
Jews at the time when the apostle 
wrote. Many of them were engaged 
in foreign traffic, and for this purpose 
made long journeys to distant trading 
cities, as Alexandria, Antioch, Ephe- 
sus, Corinth, &c. Bloomjield. 

14. Whereas, ye know not what 
shall be on the morrow. They formed 
their plans as if they knew ; the apostle 
says it could not be known. They 
had no means of ascertaining what 
would occur ; whether they would live 
or die ; whether they would be pros- 
pered or would be overwhelmed with 
adversity. Of the truth of the remark 
made by the apostle here, no one can 
doubt ; but it is amazing how men act 
as if it were false. We have no power 
of penetrating the future so as to be 
able to determine what will occur in a 
single day or a single hour, and yet 
we are almost habitually forming our 
plans as if we saw with certainty all 
that is to happen. The classic writ- 
ings abound with beautiful expressions 



For what is your life? It 4s 

1 or, For it is. 

respecting the uncertainty of the future, 
and the folly of forming our plans as 
if it were known to us. Many of 
those passages, some of them almost 
precisely in the words of James, may 
be seen in Grotius and Pricseus, in toe 
Such passages occur in Anacreon, Eu- 
ripides, Menander, Seneca, Horace, and 
others, suggesting an obvious but much- 
neglected thought, that the future is tc 
us all unknown. Man cannot pene 
trate it, and his plans of life should be 
formed in view of the possibility that 
his life may be cut off and all his plan? 
fail, and consequently in constant pre- 
paration for a higher world. Tf For 
what is your life? All your plans 
must depend of course on the continu- 
ance of your life ; but what a frail and 
uncertain thing is that ! How transi- 
tory and evanescent as a basis on which 
to build any plans for the future ! Who 
can calculate on the permanence of a 
vapour] Who can build any solid 
hopes on a mist 1 ^ It is even a va- 
pour. Marg. For it is. The margin 
is the more correct rendering. The 
previous question had turned the atten- 
tion to life as something peculiarly 
frail, and as of such a nature that no 
calculation could be based on its per- 
manence. This expression gives a 
reason for that, to wit, that it is a mere 
vapour. The word vapour (a^fdf), 
means a mist, an exhalation, a smoke; 
such a vapour as we see ascending from 
a stream, or as lies on the mountain 
side in the morning, or as floats for a 
little time in the air, but which is dis- 
sipated by the rising sun, leaving not 
a trace behind. The comparison of 
life with a vapour is common, and is 
as beautiful as it is just. Job says, 

O remember that my life is wind; 
Mine eye shall no more see good. 

Job vii. 7 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



9! 



eVen a vapour, °that appeareth 
for a littie time, and then vanish- 
eth away. 

15 For that ye ought to say, 
If the Lord will, we shall live, 
and do this, or that. 

a Job 7. 7. 



So the Psalmist, 

For he remembered that they were but flesh, 
A wind that passeth away and that cometh 
not again. 

Ps. lxviii. 39. 

Comp. 1 Chron. xxix. 15. Job xiv. 10, 
11. t And then vanisheth away. 
Wholly disappears. Like the dissi- 
pated vapour it is entirely gone. There 
is no remnant, no outline, nothing 
that reminds us that it ever was. So 
of life. Soon it disappears altogether. 
The works of art that man has made, 
the house that he has built, or the book 
that he has written, remain for a little 
time, but the life has gone. There is 
nothing of it remaining — any more 
than there is of the vapour which in 
the morning climbed silently up the 
mountain side. The animating prin- 
ciple has vanished for ever. On such 
a frail and evanescent thing who can 
build any substantial hopes'? 

15. For that ye ought to say. In- 
stead of what you do say, « we will go 
into such a city/ you ought rather to 
recognise your absolute dependence on 
God, and feel that life and success are 
subject to his will. The meaning is 
not that we ought always to be saying 
that in so many words, for this might 
become a mere ostentatious form, of- 
fensive by constant unmeaning repeti- 
tion ; but we are, in the proper way, to 
recognise our dependence on him, and 
to form ell our plans with reference to 
his will. IF If the Lord will, &c. This 
is proper, because we are wholly de- 
pendent on him for life, and as depend- 
ent on him for success. He alone can 
keep us, and he only can make our 
plans prosperous. In a thousand ways 



16 But now ye rejoice in your 
boastings : all such rejoicing is 
evil. 

17 Therefore h to him that 
knoweth to do good, and doeth 
it not, to him it is sin. 

b Lu. 12. 47. 



he can thwart our best laid schemes, 
for all things are under his control. 
We need not travel far in life to see 
how completely all that we have is in 
the hands of God, or to learn how 
easily he can frustrate us if he pleases. 
There is nothing on which the success 
of our plans depends over which we 
have absolute control ; there is nothing, 
therefore, on which we can base the 
assurance of success but his favour. 

16. But now ye rejoice in you? 
boastings. That is, probably, in your 
boastings of what you can do; your 
reliance on your own skill and saga- 
city. You form your plans for the fu- 
ture as if with consummate wisdom, 
and are confident of success. You do 
not anticipate a failure ; you do not 
see how plnns so skilfully formed can 
fail. You form them as if you were 
certain that you would live ; as if se- 
cure from the numberless casualties 
which may defeat your schemes. H All 
such rejoicing is evil. It is founded 
on a wrong view of yourselves and of 
what may occur. It shows a spirit 
forgetful of our dependence on God ; 
forgetful of the uncertainty of life ; for- 
getful of the many ways by which the 
best laid plans may be defeated. We 
should ne\er boast of any wisdom or 
skill in regard to the future. A day, 
an hour may defeat our best concerted 
plans, and show us that we have not 
the slightest power to control cording 
events. 

17. Therefore to him that knoweth 
to do good, and doeth it not, to him it 
is sin. That is, he is guiltv of sin if 
he does not do it. Cotton Mather 
adopted it as a principle of action, ' that 



92 



JAMES. 



jA. D. 60. 



the ability to do good in any case im- 
poses an obligation to do it.' The 
proposition in the verse before us is of 
a general character, but probably the 
apostle meant that it should refer to the 
point specified in the previous verses — 
the forming of plans respecting the fu- 
ture. The particular meaning then 
would be, < that he who knows what 
sort of views he should take in regard 
to the future, and how he should form 
his plans in view of the uncertainty of 
life, and still does not do it, but goes 
on recklessly, forming his plans boast- 
ingly and confident of success, is guilty 
of sin against God.' Still, the propo- 
sition will admit of a more general ap- 
plication. It is universally true that 
if a man knows what is right, and does 
not do it, he is guilty of sin. If he 
understands what his duty is ; if he 
has the means of doing good to others; 
if by his name, his influence, his wealth, 
he can promote a good cause ; if he 
can, consistently with other duties, re- 
lieve the distressed, the poor, the pri- 
soner, the oppressed ; if he can send 
the gospel to other lands, or can wipe 
away the tear of the mourner; if he 
has talents by which he can lift a voice 
that shall be heard in .favour of tem- 
perance, chastity, liberty, and religion, 
he is under obligations to do it; and 
if, by indolence, or avarice, or selfish- 
ness, or the dread of the loss of popu- 
larity, he does not do it, he is guilty 
of sin before God. No man can be 
released from the obligation to do good 
in this world to the extent of his ability ; 
no one should desire to be. The high- 
est privilege conferred on a mortal, be- 
sides that of securing the salvation of 
his own soul, is that of doing good to 
others — of alleviating sorrow, instruct- 
ing ignorance, raising up the bowed 
down, comforting those that mourn, 
delivering the wrongeo) and the op- 
pressed, supplying the wants of the 
needy, guiding inquirers into the way 
of truth, and sending liberty, know- 
ledge and salvation around th« world. 



If a man does not do this when he ha& 
the means, he sins against his own 
soul, against humanity, and against his 
Maker; if .he does it cheerfully and to 
the extent of his means, it likens him 
more than any thing else t3 God. 

CHAPTER V. 

ANALYSTS OF THE CHAPTER 

The subjects which are introduced 
in this chapter are the following : 

I. An address to rich men, and a 
severe condemnation of the manner in 
which they lived, vs. 1 — 6. There 
have been various opinions in regard 
to the persons here referred to. 
Some have supposed that the address 
is to unbelieving Jews, and that the 
punishment which the apostle threatens 
was that wftich was about to be brought 
on the nation by the Roman armies. 
But, as Benson well observes, it can 
hardly be presumed that the apostle 
supposed that his letter would be read 
by the Jews, and it is not probable, 
therefore, that he would in this manner 
directly address them. (2.) Another 
opinion has been, that this, like the 
rest of the epistle, is addressed to pro- 
fessed Christians who had been Jews, 
and that the design is to reprove faults 
which prevailed among them. It is 
not supposed indeed, by those who 
hold this opinion, that all of those who 
were rich among them were guilty of 
the sins here adverted to, nor even that 
they were very prevalent among them. 
The rebuke would be proper if the sins 
here referred to existed at all, and were 
practised by any who bore the Chris- 
tian name. As to any improbability 
that professed Christians would be 
guilty of these faults, it might be re- 
marked that the period has been rare in 
the church, if it has occurred at all, in 
which all that is here said of « rich 
men 7 would not be applicable to some 
members of the church. Certainly it 
is applicable in all those countries 
where slavery prevails ; in countries 
where religion is allied to the state ; in 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER V. 



all places where the mass are poor and 
the few are rich. It would be difficult 
now to find any extended church on 
earth in relation to which the denun- 
ciation here would not be applicable to 
some of its members. But still, it can 
hardly be supposed that men were to- 
lerated in the church, in the times of 
the apostles, who were guilty of the 
oppressions and wrongs here referred 
to, or who lived in the manner here 
specified. It is true, indeed, that such 
men have been, and are still found, in 
the Christian church ; but we should 
not, without the clearest proof, suppose 
that such cases existed in the times of 
the apostles. (3.) The correct opinion, 
therefore, seems to be, that the design 
of the apostle in this chapter, was to 
encourage and strengthen poor and op- 
pressed Christians ; to impart consola- 
tion to those who, under the exactions 
of rich men, were suffering wrong. In 
doing this, nothing would be more na- 
tural than for him first to declare his 
views in regard to those who were 
guilty of these wrongs, and who made 
use of the power which wealth gave to 
injure those in the humble walks of 
life. This he does in the form of an 
address to rich men — not perhaps ex- 
pecting that they would see what he 
had written, but with a design to set 
before those to whom he wrote, and 
for whose benefit the statement is made, 
in a vivid manner, the nature of the 
wrongs under which they were suffer- 
ing, and the nature of the punishment 
which must come upon those who op- 
pressed them. Nothing would tend 
more effectually to reconcile those to 
whom he wrote to their own lot, or do 
more to encourage them to bear their 
trials with patience. At the same time 
nothing would do more to keep them 
from envying the lot of the rich, or 
desiring the wealth which was con- 
nected with such a mode of life. 

II. The apostle exhorts those who 
were suffering under these wrongs to 
exercise patience, vs. 7 — 11. He en- 



courages them with the hope that the 
Lord would come ; he refers them to 
the example of the farmer, who waits 
long for the fruit of the earth ; he cau- 
tions them against indulging in hard 
feelings and thoughts against others 
more prospered than they were ; he 
refers them, as examples of patience, 
to the prophets, to the case of Job, and 
to the Lord Jesus himself. 

III. He adverts to a fault among 
them on the subject of swearing, ver. 
12. This subject is introduced here 
apparently because they were in dan- 
ger, through impatience, of expressing 
themselves in a severe manner, and 
even of uttering imprecations on those 
who oppressed them. To guard against 
this, he exhorts them to control their 
temper, and to confine themselves in 
their conversation to a simple affirma- 
tive or denial. 

IV. He refers to the case of those 
who were sick and afflicted among 
them, and directs them w T hat to do. vs. 
14 — 18. The duty of those who were 
sick was to employ prayer — as the duty 
of those who were in health and pros- 
perity was praise. The afflicted were 
to pray ; the sick were to call for the 
elders of the church, who were to pray 
over them, and to anoint them with oil 
in the name of the Lord, not as < ex- 
treme unction,' or with a view to their 
dying, but with a view to their living. 
To encourage them thus to call in the 
aid of praying men, he refers them to 
an illustrious instance of the power of 
prayer, in the case of Elijah. 

V. In the close of the chapter and 
of the epistle, the apostle adverts to the 
possibility that some among them might 
err from the truth, and urges the duty 
of endeavouring to convert such. vs. 
19, 20. To encourage them to do this, 
he states the important consequences 
tvhich would follow where such an 
effort would be successful. He who 
should do this, would have the satis- 
faction of saving a soul from death, 
and would hide from the universe a 



S*4 

CHAPTER V. 

GO to now, ye rich rt men, 
weep and howl for your mi- 
series that shall come upon you. 



JAMES. [A. D. 6U 

2 Your riches b are corrupted, 
and your garments are moth- 
eaten. 

a Pr. 11. 28. Lu. 6. 24. b Je. 17- 11. 
c Job 13. 28. 



multitude of sins, which otherwise, in 
the case of the erring brother, could 
not but have been exposed in the great 
day of judgment. 

1. Go to now. Notes on ch. iv. 13. 
% Ye rich men. Not all rich men, 
but only that class of them who are 
specified as unjust and oppressive. 
There is no sin in merely being rich ; 
where sin exists peculiarly among the 
rich, it arises from the manner in which 
wealth is acquired, the spirit which it 
tends to engender in the heart, and 
the way in which it is used. Comp. 
Notes on Luke vi. 24. 1 Tim. vi. 9. 
IT Weep and howl. Gr. * Weep howl- 
ing.' This would be expressive of 
very deep distress. The language is 
intensive in a high degree, showing 
that the calamities which were coming 
upon them were not only such as would 
produce tears, but tears accompanied 
with loud lamentations. In the East 
it is customary to give expression to 
deep sorrow by loud outcries. Comp. 
Isa. xiii. 6; xiv. 31; xv. 2; xvi. 7. 
Jer. iv. 8 ; xivii. 2. Joel i. 5. IT For 
your miseries that shall come upon 
you. Many expositors, as Benson, 
Whitby, Macknight, and others, sup- 
pose that this refers to the approaching 
destruction of Jerusalem by the Ro- 
mans, and to the miseries which would 
be brought in the siege upon the Jew- 
ish people, in which the rich would be 
the peculiar objects of cupidity and 
vengeance. They refer to passages in 
Josephus, which describe particularly 
the sufferings to which the rich were 
exposed ; the searching of their houses 
by the zealots, and the heavy calami- 
ties which came upon them and their 
families. But there is no reason to 
suppose that the apostle referred parti- 
cularly to those events. The poor 
as weU as the rich suffered in that 



siege, and there were no such spe- 
cial judgments then brought upon the 
rich as to show that they were the 
marked objects of the divine displea- 
sure. It is much more natural to sup- 
pose that the apostle means to say that 
such men as he here refers to e exposed 
themselves always to the wrath of God, 
and that they had great reason to weep 
in the anticipation of his vengeance. 
The sentiments here expressed by the 
apostle are not applicable merely to the 
Jews of his time. If there is any class 
of men which has special reason to 
dread the wrath of God at all times, it 
is just the class of men here referred 
to. 

2. Your riches are corrupted. The 
word here rendered corrupted (tfjjrtco), 
does not occur elsewhere in the New 
Testament. It means, to cause to rot, 
to corrupt, to destroy. The reference 
here is to their hoarded treasures; and 
the idea is, that they had accumulated 
more than they needed for their own 
use, and that, instead of distributing 
them to do goorfto others, or employ- 
ing them in any useful way, they kept 
them until they rotted or spoiled. It 
is to be remembered that a considerable 
part of the treasures which a man in 
the East would lay up consisted of 
perishable materials, as garments, grain, 
oil, &c. Such articles of property 
were often stored up, expecting that 
they would furnish a supply for many 
years, in case of the prevalence of fa- 
mine or wars. Comp. Luke xii. 18, 19. 
A suitable provision for the time to 
come cannot be forbidden, but the re 
ference here is to cases in which greai 
quantities had been laid up, perhaps 
while the poor were suffering, and 
which were kept until they became 
worthless. IT Your garments are moth- 
eaten. The same idea substantially ij 



A i>. 60.] 



CHAPTER V. 



05 



3 Your gold and silver is can- 
kered ; and the rust of them shall 

expressed here in another form. As 
the fashions in the East did not change 
as they do with us, wealth consisted 
much in the garments that were laid 
up for show or for future use. See 
Notes on Matt. vi. 19. Q. Curtius 
says that when Alexander the Great 
was going to take Persepolis, the riches 
of all Asia were gathered there together, 
which consisted not only of a great 
abundance of gold and silver, but also 
of garments. Lib. vi. c. 5. Horace 
tells us that when Lucullus the Ro- 
man was asked if he could lend a 
hundred garments for the theatre, he 
replied that he had five thousand in 
his house, of which they were welcome 
to take part or all. Of course, such 
property would be liable to be moth- 
eaten ; and the idea here is, that they 
had amassed a great amount of this 
kind of property which was useless to 
them, and which they kept until it be- 
came destroyed. 

3. Your gold and silver is cankered. 
That is, that you have heaped together, 
by injustice and fraud, a large amount, 
and have kept it from those to whom 
it is due (ver. 4), until it has become 
corroded. The word rendered is can- 
kered (xwtlwtai), does not occur else- 
where in the New Testament. It pro- 
perly means to cause to rust ; to rust 
out [Pass.) ; to be corroded with rust 
(Robinson) ; to be spotted with rust. 
It is true that gold and silver do not 
properly rust, or become oxidized, and 
that they will not be corroded like 
iron and steel ; but by being kept 
long in a damp place they will con- 
tract a dark colour, resembling rust 
in appearance. This seems to be the 
dea in the mind of the apostle. He 
speaks of gold and silver as they appear 
after having been long laid up without 
use, and undoubtedly the word which 
he uses here is one which would to an 
undent have expressed that idea as 



be a witness against you, and 
shall eat your flesh as it were (ire. 

well as the mere literal idea of the 
rusting or oxidizing of metals. There 
is no reason to suppose that the word 
was then used in the strict chemical 
sense of rusting, for there is no reason 
to suppose that the nature of oxidiza- 
tion was then fully understood, And 
the rust of them. Another word is 
used here — lb$* This properly denotes 
something sent out or emitted (from 
Hvjfii), and is applied to a missile wea- 
pon, as an arrow ; to poison, as emitted 
from the tooth of a serpent ; and to 
rust, as it seems to be emitted from 
metals. The word refers to the dark 
discoloration which appears on gold 
and silver when they have remained 
long without use. f Shall be a witness 
against you. That is, the rust or dis- 
coloration shall bear testimony against 
you that the money is not used as it 
should be, either in paying those to 
whom it is due, or in doing good to 
others. Among the ancients the gold 
and silver which any one possessed 
was laid up in some secret and safe 
place. Comp. Notes on Isa. xlv. 3. 
There were no banks then in which 
money might be deposited ; there were 
few ways of investing money so as to 
produce regular interests ; there were 
no corporations to employ money in 
joint operations ; and it was not very 
common to invest money in the pur- 
chase of real estate, and stocks and 
mortgages were little known. ^ And 
shall eat your flesh as it were fire. 
This cannot be taken literally. It must 
mean that the effect would be as if it 
should corrode or consume their very 
flesh ; that is, the fact of their laying up 
treasures would be followed by painful 
consequences. The thought is very 
striking, and the language in which 
it is conveyed is singularly bold and 
energetic. The effect of thus heaping 
up treasure will be as corroding a* fire 
in the flesh. The reference is to th«? 



JAMES. 



[A. JD. 60. 



Ye have heaped a treasure toge- 
ther for the last days. 

a Ro. 2. 5. 

punishment which God would bring 
on them for their avarice and injustice 
— effects that will come on all now for 
the same offences, Ye have heaped 
treasure together for the last days. 
The day of judgment ; the closing 
scenes of this world. You have been 
heaping up treasure ; but it will be 
treasure of a different kind from what 
you have supposed. It is treasure not 
laid up for ostentation, or luxury, or 
use in future life, but treasure the true 
worth of which will be seen at the 
judgment day. So Paul speaks of 
• Ueasuring up wrath against the day 
of wrath, and revelation of the right- 
eous judgment of God/ Rom. ii. 5. 
There are many who suppose they are 
accumulating property that may be of 
use to them, or that may secure them 
the reputation of possessing great wealth, 
who are in fact accumulating a most fear- 
ful treasure against the day of final retri- 
bution. Every man who is rich should 
examine himself closely to see whether 
there is any thing in the manner in 
which he has gained his property, or 
in which he now holds it, that will ex- 
pose him to the wrath of God in the 
last day. That on which he so much 
prides himself may yet bring down on 
him the vengeance of heaven ; and in 
the day of judgment he may curse his 
own madness and folly in wasting his 
probation in efforts to amass property. 

4. Behold, the hire of the labourers 
who have reaped down your fields. 
In the previous verses the form of the 
sin which the apostle specified was that 
they had hoarded their property. He 
now states another form of their guilt, 
that, while doing this, they had with- 
held what was due from the very la- 
bourers who had cultivated their fields, 
and to whose labour they were indebted 
for what they had. The phrase « who 
have reaped down your fields,' is used 



4 Behold, the hire-* of the la- 
bourers who have reaped down 

b Je. 22. 13. Mai. 3. 5. 

to denote labour in general. This 
particular thing is specified, perhaps, 
because the reaping of the harvest seems 
to be more immediately connected with 
the accumulation of property. What 
is said here, however, will apply to all 
kinds of labour. It may be remarked 
also that the sin condemned here is one 
that may exist not only in reference to 
those who are hired to cultivate a farm, 
but to all in our employ — to day-la- 
bourers, to mechanics, to seamen, &c. 
It will apply, in an eminent degree, to 
those who hold others in slavery, and 
who live by their unrequited toils. 
The very essence of slavery is, that the 
slave shall produce by his labour so 
much more than he receives for his 
own maintenance as to support the 
master and his family in indolence. 
The slave is to do the work which the 
master would otherwise be obliged to 
do ; the advantage of the system is 
supposed to be that the master is not 
under a necessity of labouring at all. 
The amount which the slave receives 
is not presumed to be what is a fair 
equivalent for what he does, or what a 
freeman could be hired for, but so much 
less than his labour is fairly worth as 
to be a source of so much gain to the 
master. If slaves were fairly compen- 
sated for their labour; if they received 
what was understood to be a just price 
for what they do, or what they would 
be willing to bargain for if they were 
free, the system would at ones come 
to an end. No owner of a slave would 
keep him if he did not suppose that 
out of his unrequited toil he might 
make money, or might be relieved him- 
self from the necessity of labour. He 
who hires a freeman to reap down his 
fields pays what the freeman regards 
as a fair equivalent for what he does; 
he who employs a slave does not give 
what the slave would regard as an 



\. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER V. 



97 



your fields, which is of you ke^t 
back by fraud, crieth : and the 
cries of them which have reaped 

equivalent, and expects that what he 
gives will be so much less than an 
equivalent, that he may be free alike 
from the necessity of labour and of 
paying him what he has fairly earned. 
The very essence of slavery, there- 
fore, is fraud ; and there is nothing to 
which the remarks of the apostle here 
are more applicable than to that un- 
just and oppressive system. % Which 
is of you kept back by fraud. The 
Greek word here used (drtoa-r'spao), is 
rendered defraud, in Mark x. 10. 1 
Cor. vi. 7, 8 ; vii. 5, and destitute, in 
I Tim. vi. 5. It occurs nowhere else, 
except in the passage before us. It 
means to deprive of, with the notion 
that that to which it is applied was due 
to one, or that he had a claim on it. 
The fraud referred to in keeping it 
back, may be any thing by which the 
payment is withheld, or the claim 
evaded — whether it be mere neglect to 
pay it; or some advantage taken in 
making the bargain ; or some evasion 
of the law ; or mere vexatious delay ; 
or such superior power that he to whom 
it is due cannot enforce the payment; 
or such a system that he to whom it is 
fairly due is supposed in the laws to 
have no rights, and to be incapable of 
suing or being sued. Any one of these 
things would come under the denomi- 
nation of fraud. IT Crieth. That is, 
cries out to God for punishment. The 
voice of this wrong goes up to heaven. 
1 And the cries of them which have 
reaped are entered into the ears of the 
Lord of Sabaoth. That is, he hears 
them, and he will attend to their cry. 
Comp. Ex. xxii. 27. They are op- 
pressed and wronged ; they have none 
to regard their cry on earth, and to re- 
dress their wrongs, and they go and 
appeal to that God who will regard 
their cry, and avenge them. On the 
phrase 4 Lord of Sabaoth/ or Lord 
9 



are entered" into the ears of the 
Lord of Sabaoth. 

a Ex. 22. 27. 

of hosts, for so the word Sabaoth 
means, see Notes on Isa. i. 9, and Rom. 
ix. 29. Perhaps by the use of the 
word here it is implied that the God 
to whom they cry— -the mighty Ruler 
of all worlds — is able to vindicate them. 
It may be added, that the cry of the 
oppressed and the wronged is going up 
constantly from all parts of the earth, 
and is always heard by God. In his 
own time he will come forth to vindi- 
cate the oppressed, and to punish the 
oppressor. It may be added, also, that 
if what is here said were regarded as it 
should be by all men, slavery, as well 
as other systems of wrong, would soon 
come to an end. If everywhere the 
workman was fairly paid for his earn- 
ings ; if the poor slave who cultivates 
the fields of the rich were properly 
compensated for his toil ; if he received 
what a freeman would contract to dc 
the work for ; if there was no fraua 
in withholding what he earns, the sys- 
tem would soon cease in the earth. 
Slavery could not live a day if this 
were done. Now, there is no such 
compensation ; but the cry of oppressed 
millions will continue to go up to hea- 
ven, and the period must come when 
the system shall cease. Either the 
master must be brought te such a sense 
of right that he will be disposed to do 
justice, and let the oppressed go free; 
or God will so impoverish the lands 
where the system prevails as to make 
all men see that the system is unprofit- 
able and ruinous as compared with free 
labour ; or the oppressed will somehow 
become so acquainted with their own 
strength and their rights that they shall 
arise and assert their freedom ; or under 
the prevalence of true religion better 
views will prevail, and oppressors, 
turned to God, shall relax the yoke of 
bondage ; or God will so bring heavy 
judgments in his holy providence on the 



98 



JAMES. 



[A, D. 60. 



5 Ye have lived in pleasure a 
on the earth, and been wanton ; 

a Lu. 16. 19, 25. 

oppressors, that the system of slavery 
will everywhere come to an end on 
the earth. Nothing is more certain 
than that the whole system is con- 
demned by the passage of Scripture 
before us; that it is contrary to the 
genuine spirit of Christianity, and that 
the prevalence of true religion would 
bring it to an end. Probably all slave- 
holders feel that to place the Bible in 
the hands of slaves, and to instruct 
them to read it, would be inconsistent 
with the perpetuity of the system. Yet 
a system which cannot survive the 
most full and free circulation of the 
sacred Scriptures must be founded in 
wrong. 

5. Ye have lived in pleasure on the 
earth. One of the things to which the 
rich are peculiarly addicted. Their 
wealth is supposed to be of value be- 
cause it furnishes them the means of 
doing it. Comp. Luke xii. 19 ; xvi. 19. 
The word translated i lived in pleasure' 
(tpv$d<S), occurs only here in the New 
Testament. It means to live delicately, 
luxuriously, at ease. There is not in 
the word essentially the idea of vicious 
indulgence, but that which character- 
izes those who live for enjoyment. 
They lived in ease and affluence on the 
avails of the labours of others ; they 
indulged in what gratified the taste and 
pleased the ear and the eye, while those 
who contributed the means of this 
were groaning under oppression. A 
life of mere indolence and ease, of deli- 
cacy and luxury, is nowhere counte- 
nanced in the Bible ; and even where 
unconnected with oppression and wrong 
to others, such a mode of living is re- 
garded as inconsistent with the purpose 
for which God made man and placed 
him on the earth. See Luke xii. 19, 
20. Every man has high and solemn 
duties to perform, and there is enough 
tc be done on earth to give employment 



ye have nourished your hearts, 
as in a day of slaughter. 



to every human being, and to fill up 
every hour in a profitable and U3efu: 
way. IT And been wanton* This 
word now probably conveys to most 
minds a sense which is not in the ori- 
ginal. Our English word is now com- 
monly used in the sense of lewd, lust- 
ful, lascivious. It was, however, for- 
merly used in the sense of sportive, 
joyous, gay, and was applied to any 
thing that was variable or fickle. The 
Greek word used here (tfrtarUtauo), 
means to live luxuriously or voluptu- 
ously. Comp. Notes on 1 Tim. v. 6, 
where the word is explained. It does 
not refer necessarily to gross criminal 
pleasures, though the kind of living 
here referred to often leads to such in- 
dulgences. There is a close connection 
between what the apostle says here, 
and what he refers to in the previous 
verses — the oppression of others, and 
the withholding of what is due to those 
who labour. Such acts of oppression 
and wrong are commonly resorted to 
in order to obtain the means of luxuri- 
ous living, and the gratification of sen- 
sual pleasures. In all countries where 
slavery exists, the things here referred 
to are found in close connection. The 
fraud and wrong by which the reward 
of hard toil is withheld from the slave 
is connected with indolence and sensual 
indulgence on the part of the master. 
1 Ye have nourished your hearts. Or, 
yourselves — the word hearts here being 
equivalent to themselves. The mean- 
ing is, that they appeared to have been 
fattening themselves, like stall-fed 
beasts, for the day of slaughter. As 
cattle are carefully fed, and are fattened 
with a view to their being slaughtered, 
so they seemed to have been fattened 
for the slaughter that was to come on 
them — the day of vengeance. Thus 
many now live. They do no work; 
they contribute nothing to the good of 



A.D. 60.] CHAP r 
6 Ye have condemned and 

a Mat. 5. 39. 

society ; they are mere consumers — 
fruges consumere nati ; and, like 
stall-fed cattle, they seem to live only 
with reference to the day of slaughter, 
and to the recompense which awaits 
them after death. IT As in a day of 
slaughter. There has been much va- 
riety in the interpretation of this ex- 
pression. Robinson (Lex.) renders it, 
" like beasts in the day of slaughter, 
without care or forethought." Rosen- 
muller (Morgenland) supposes that it 
means as in a festival; referring, as 
he thinks, to the custom among the 
ancients of having a fea?* when a part 
of the animal was consumed in sacri- 
fice, and the rest was eaten by the wor- 
shippers. So Benson. On such occa- 
sions indulgence was given to appetite 
almost without limit, and the idea then 
would be that they had given them- 
selves up to a life of pampered luxury. 
But probably the more correct idea is, 
that they had fattened themselves as 
for the day of destruction ; that is, as 
animals are fattened for slaughter. 
They lived only to eat and drink, and 
to enjoy life. But, by such a course, 
they were as certainly preparing for 
perdition as cattle were prepared to be 
killed by being stall-fed. 

6. Ye have condemned and killed 
the just. 1*01/ hixtuov — the just one, or 
the just man — for the word used is in 
the singular number. This may either 
refer to the condemnation and cruci- 
fixion of Christ — meaning that their 
conduct towards his people had been 
similar to the treatment of the Saviour, 
and was in fact a condemnation and 
crucifixion of him afresh ; or, that by 
their rejection of him in order to live 
in sin, they in fact condemned him and 
his religion ; or, that they had con- 
demned and killed the just man — 
meaning that they had persecuted those 
who were Christians ; or, that by their 
harsh treatment of others in withhold- 



'ER V. 99 

killed the just; and he doth not 
resist a you. 

ing what was due to them, they had 
deprived them of the means of subsist- 
ence, and had, as it were, killed the 
righteous. Probably the true meaning 
is, that it was one of their characteris- 
tics that they had been guilty of wrong 
towards good men. Whether it refers, 
however, to any particular act of vio- 
lence, or to such a course as would 
wear out their lives by a system of op- 
pression, injustice, and fraud, cannot 
now be determined, f And he doth 
not resist you. Some have supposed 
that this refers to God, meaning that 
he did not oppose them ; that is, that 
he bore with them patiently while they 
did it. Others suppose that it should 
be read as a question — < and doth he 
not resist youT — meaning that God 
would oppose them and punish them 
for their acts of oppression and wrong. 
But probably the true reference is to 
the « just man' whom they condemned 
and killed ; meaning that they were so 
powerful that all attempts to resist them 
would be vain, and that the injured 
and oppressed could do nothing but 
submit patiently to their acts of injus- 
tice and violence. The sense may be 
either that they could not oppose them 
— the rich men being so powerful and 
they who were oppressed so feeble ; or 
that they bore their wrongs with meek- 
ness, and did not attempt it. The 
sins, therefore, condemned in these 
verses (1 — 6), and for which it is said 
the divine vengeance would come upon 
those referred to, are these four: (1.) 
That of hoarding up money when it 
was unnecessary for their real suppor* 
and comfort, and when they might do 
so much good with it (comp. Matt. vi. 
19); (2.) That of keeping back the 
wages which was due to those who 
cultivated their fields ; that is, keeping 
back what would be a fair compensa- 
tion for their toil — applicable alike to 
hired men and to slaves ; (3.) That of 



100 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60. 



7 1 Be patient therefore, bre- 
thren, unto the coming of the 
Lord. Behold, the husbandman 

1 or, Be long patient; or, Suffer with long" 
patience. 

giving themselves up to a life of ease, 
luxury, and sensual indulgence; and 
(4.) That of wronging and oppressing 
good and just men — men, perhaps in 
humble life, who were unable to vindi- 
cate their rights, and who had none to 
undertake their cause ; men who were 
too feeble to offer successful resistance, 
or who were restrained by their princi- 
ples from attempting it. It is needless 
to say that there are multitudes of such 
persons now on the earth, and that they 
have the same reason to dread the di- 
vine vengeance which the same class 
had in the time of the apostle James. 

7. Be patient therefore, brethren. 
That is, under such wrongs as the 
apostle had described in the previous 
verses. Those whom he addressed 
were doubtless suffering under those 
oppressions, and his object was to in- 
duce them to bear their wrongs with- 
out murmuring and without resistance. 
One of the methods of doing this was 
by showing them, in an address to 
their rich oppressors, that those who 
injured and wronged them would be 
suitably punished at the day of judg- 
ment, or that their cause was in the 
hands of God ; and another method of 
doing it was by the direct inculcation 
of the duty of patience. Comp. Notes 
on Mutt. v. 38—41, 43—45. The 
margin here is, Be long patient ; or 
suffer with long patience. The sense 
of the Greek is, < be long suffering, or 
let not your patience be exhausted. 
Your courage, vigour and forbearance 
is not to be short-lived, but is to be 
enduring. Let it continue as long as 
there is need of it, even to the coming 
of the Lord. Then you will be re- 
leased from sufferings.' 1F Unto the 
coming of the Lord. The coming of 
the Lord Jesus — either to remove you 



wa'iteth for the precious fruit of 
the earth, and hath long patience 
for it, until he receive the early 
a and latter rain. 

aDe. 11. 14. 

by death, or to destroy the city of Je- 
rusalem and bring to an end the Jew- 
ish institutions, or to judge the world 
and receive his people to himself. The 
* coming of the Lord' in any way was 
an event which Christians were taught 
to expect, and which would be con- 
nected with their deliverance from 
troubles. As the time of his appearing 
was not revealed, it was not improper 
to refer to that as an event that might 
possibly be near ; and as the removal 
of Christians by death is denoted by the 
phrase « the coming of the Lord' — that 
is, his coming to each one of us — it 
was not improper to speak of death in 
that view. On the general subject of 
the expectations entertained among the 
early Christians of the second advent 
of the Saviour, see Notes on 1 Cor. xv. 
51. 2 Thess. ii. 2, 3. IT Behold, the 
husbandman waiteth for the precious 
fruit of the earth. The farmer waits 
patiently for the grain to grow. It 
requires time to mature the crop, and 
he does not become impatient. The 
idea seems to be that we should wait 
for things to develope themselves in 
their proper season, and should not be 
impatient before that season arrives. 
In due time we may expect the harvest 
to be ripened. We cannot hasten it. 
We cannot control the rain, the sun, 
the seasons ; and the farmer therefore 
patiently waits until in the regular 
course of events he has a harvest. So 
we cannot control and hasten the events 
which are in God's own keeping; and 
we should patiently wait for the de- 
velopments of his will, and the arrange- 
ments of his providence, by which we 
may obtain what we desire. IT And 
hath long patience for it. That is, 
his patience is not exhausted. It ex- 
tends through the whole time in which, 



\.D. 60. J CHAP1 
8 Be ye also patient ; stablish 

a Re. 22. 20. 

by the divine arrangements, he may 
expect a harvest. IT Until he receive 
the early and latter rain. In the cli- 
mate of Palestine there are two rainy 
seasons, on which the harvest essen- 
tially depends — the autumnal and the 
spring rains — called here and elsewhere 
in the Scriptures the early and the latter 
rains. See Deut. xi. 14. Job xxix. 23. 
Jer. v. 24. The autumnal, or the early 
rains of Scripture, usually commence 
in th 3 latter half of October or begin- 
ning )f November; not suddenly, but 
by degrees, which gives opportunity for 
the husbandman to sow his fields of 
wheat and barley. The rains come 
mostly from the west or south-west, 
continuing for two or three days at a 
time, and falling especially during the 
nights. The wind then chops round 
to the north or east, and several days 
of fine weather succeed. During the 
months of November and December 
the rains continue to fall heavily ; af- 
terwards they return only at longer in- 
tervals, and are less heavy; but- at no 
period during the winter do they en- 
tirely cease to occur. Snow often falls 
in Jerusalem, in January and February, 
to the depth of a foot or more, but it 
does not last long. Rain continues to 
fall more or less through the month of 
March, but it is rare after that period. 
At the present time there are not any 
particular periods of rain, or successions 
of showers, which might be regarded 
as distinct rainy seasons. The whole 
period from October to March now 
constitutes only one continued rainy 
season, without any regularly inter- 
vening time of prolonged fair weather. 
Unless, therefore, there has been some 
change in the climate since the times 
of the New Testament, the early and 
the latter rains for which the husband- 
man waited with longing, seem rather 
to have implied the first showers of 
autumn, which revived the parched and 
9* 



ER V. 10) 

your hearts : for a the coming of 
the Lord draweth nigh. 

thirsty earth, and prepared it for the 
seed ; and the latter showers of spring, 
which continued to refresh and forward 
the ripening crops and the vernal pro- 
ducts of the fields. In ordinary sea- 
sons, from the cessation of the showers 
in spring until their commencement in 
October or November, rain never falls, 
and the sky is usually serene. Robin- 
son's Biblical Researches^ vol. ii. pp. 
96—100. 

8. Be ye also patient. As the farmer 
is. In due time, as he expects the re- 
turn of the rain, so you may anticipate 
deliverance from your trials. IT Stab' 
lish your hearts. Let your purposes 
and your faith be firm and unwavering. 
Do not become weary and fretful, but 
bear with constancy all that is laid 
upon you until the time of your deli- 
verance shall come. IT For the coming 
of the Lord draweth nigh. Comp. 
Rev. xxii. 10, 12, 20. Notes, 1 Cor. 
xv. 51. It is clear, I think, from this 
place, that the apostle expected that 
that which he understood by < the com- 
ing of the Lord' was soon to occur ; for 
it was to be that by which they would 
obtain deliverance from the trials which 
they then endured. See ver. 7. Whe- 
ther it means that he was soon to come 
to judgment, or to bring to an end the 
Jewish policy and to set up his king- 
dom on the earth, or that they would 
soon be removed by death, cannot be 
determined from the mere use of the 
language. The most natural interpre- 
tation of the passage, and one which 
will accord well with the time when 
the epistle was written is, that the pre- 
dicted time of the destruction of Jeru- 
salem (Matt, xxiv.) was at hand ; that 
there were already indications that that 
would soon occur ; and that there wis 
a prevalent expectation among Chris- 
tians that that event would be a release 
from many trials of persecution, and 
would be followed by the setting up o£ 



102 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60 



9 1 Grudge not one against 
another, brethren, lest ye be 
condemned : behold, the Judge 
standeth ° before the door. 

the Redeemer's kingdom. Perhaps 
many expected that the judgment 
would occur at that time, and that the 
Saviour would set up a personal reign 
on the earth. But the expectation of 
others might have been merely — what 
is indeed all that is necessarily implied 
in the predictions on the subject — that 
there would be after that a rapid and 
extensive spread of the principles of 
the Christian religion in the world. 
The destruction of Jerusalem and of 
the temple would contribute to that by 
bringing to an end the whole system 
of Jewish types and sacrifices; by 
convincing Christians that there was 
not to be one central rallying- point, 
thus destroying their lingering pre- 
judices in favour of the Jewish mode 
of worship; and by scattering them 
abroad through the world to propagate 
the new religion. The epistle was 
written, it is supposed, some ten or 
twelve years before the destruction of 
Jerusalem (Intro., § 3), and it is not im- 
probable that there were already some 
indications of that approaching event. 

9. Grudge not one against another, 
Marg. i groan, grieve. 1 The Greek 
word (ptsvd^oi), means to sigh, to 
groan, as of persons in distress (Rom. 
viii. 23) ; and then to sigh or groan 
through impatience, fretfulness, ill-hu- 
mour ; and hence to murmur, to find 
fault, to complain. The exact idea 
here is, no' that of grudging in the 
sense of dissatisfaction with what others 
possess, or of being envious; it is that 
of being fretful and impatient : or, to use 
a common word which more exactly 
expresses the sense, that of grumbling. 
This may arise from many causes ; 
either because others have advantages 
which we have not, and we are discon- 
tented and unhappy, as if it were wrong 
in them to have such enjoyments ; or 



10 Take, my brethren, the 
prophets, who have spoken in 
ihe name of the Lord, for an ex- 

i groan, grieve. a Re. 3. 20. 

because we, without reason, suppose 
they intend to slight and neglect us; 
or because we are ready to take offence 
at any little thing, and to « pick a quar- 
rel* with them. There are some per- 
sons who are always grumbling. They 
have a sour, dissatisfied, discontented 
temper; they see no excellence in 
other persons ; they are displeased that 
others are more prospered, honoured 
and beloved than they are themselves ; 
they are always complaining of what 
others do, not because they are injured, 
but because others seem to them to be 
weak and foolish ; they seem to feel 
that it becomes them to complain if 
every thing is not done precisely as in 
their estimation it should be. It is 
needless to say that this spirit — the off- 
spring of pride — will make any man 
lead a wretched life ; and equally need- 
less to say that it is wholly contrary to 
the spirit of the gospel. Comp. Luke 
iii. 14. Phil. iv. 11. 1 Tim. vi. 8. Heb. 
xiii. 5. IT Lest ye be condemned. That 
is, for judging others with this spirit — 
for this spirit is in fact judging them. 
Comp. Notes on Matt. vii. 1. ^ Be- 
hold, the Judge standeth before the 
door. The Lord Jesus, who is soon 
to come to judge the world. See ver. 8. 
He is, as it were, even now approach- 
ing the door — so near that he can hear 
all that you say. 

10. Take, my brethren, the prophets. 
That is, in your trials and persecutions. 
To encourage them to the exercise of 
patience, he points them to the exam- 
ple of those who had trod the same 
thorny path before them. The pro-, 
phets were in general a much perse- 
cuted race of men, and the argument 
on which the apostle relies from their 
example is this: (1.) That if the pro- 
phets were persecuted and tried, it may 
be expected that other good men will 



a. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER V. 



103 



ample of suffering affliction," and 
of patience. 

11 Benold, we count them 1 

a He. 11. 35-33. b Ps. 94. 12. Mat. 5. 10. 

be ; (2.) That they showed such pa- 
tience in their trials as to be a model 
for us. IT An example of suffering 
affliction. That is, they showed us 
how evils are to be borne. 

11. Behold, we count them happy 
which endure. The word rendered 
< we count them happy' (paxapllyOpsv), 
occurs only here and in Luke i. 48, 
where it is rendered 1 shall call me 
blessed? The word ^axapcoj, blessed, 
or happy, however, occurs often. See 
Matt. v. 3 — 11 ; xi. 6 ; xiii. 6, et ssepe. 
The sense here is, we speak of their 
patience with commendation. They 
have done what they ought to do, and 
their name is honoured and blessed, 
t Ye have heard of the patience of 
Job. As one of the most illustrious 
instances of patient sufferers. See Job 
i. 21. The book of Job was written, 
among other reasons, to show that true 
religion would bear any form of trial 
to which it could be subjected. See 
Job i. 9 — 1 1 ; ii. 5, 6. ^ And have 
seen the end of the Lord. That is, the 
end or design which the Lord had in 
the trials of Job, or the result to which 
he brought the case at last — to wit, that 
he showed himself to be very merciful 
to the poor sufferer ; that he met him 
with the expressions of his approbation 
for the manner in which he bore his 
trials; and that he doubled his for- 
mer possessions, and restored him to 
more than his former happiness and 
honour. See Job xlii. Augustine, Lu- 
ther, Wetstein, and others, understand 
this as referring to the death of the 
Lord Jesus, and as meaning that they 
had seen the manner in which he suf- 
fered death, as ah example for us. But, 
though this might strike many as the 
true interpretation, yet the objections 
to it are insuperable. (1.) It does not 
accord with the proper meaning of the 



happy which endure. Ye have 
heard of the patience c of Job, 
and have seen the end d of the 

c Job 1. 21, &c. d Job 42. 10, &c. 

word end (?iho$)* That word is in no 
instance applied to death, nor does it 
properly express death. It properly 
denotes an end, term, termination, com- 
pletion ; and is used in the following 
senses, («) to denote the end, the ter- 
mination, or the last of any thing 
(Mark iii. 26. 1 Cor. xv. 24. Luke 
xxi. 9. Heb. vii. 3) ; (b) an event, is- 
sue, or result (Matt. xxvi. 58. Rom. vi. 
21. "2 Cor. xi. 18) ; (c) the final pur- 
pose, that to which all the parts tend, 
and in which they terminate (1 Tim. 
i. 5) ; tax, custom, or tribute — 
what is paid for public ends or pur- 
poses. Matt. xvii. 25. Rom. xiii. 7. 
(2.) This interpretation, referring it to 
the death of the Saviour, would not 
accord with the remark of the apostle 
in the close of the verse, « that the Lord 
is very merciful.' This is what he 
says was < seen,'' or this was what was 
particularly illustrated in the case re- 
ferred to. Yet this was not particu- 
larly seen in the death of the Lord 
Jesus. He was indeed most patient 
and submissive in his death, and it is 
true that he showed mercy to the peni- 
tent malefactor ; but this was not the 
particular and most prominent trait 
which he evinced in his death. Be- 
sides, if it had been, that would not 
have been the thing to which the apos- 
tle would have referred here. His ob- 
ject was to recommend patience under 
trials, not mercy shown to others; and 
this he does by showing (a) that Job 
was an eminent instance of it, and (6) 
that the resujt was such as to encou- 
rage us to be patient. The end or the 
result of the divine dealings in his case 
was, that the Lord was « very pitiful 
and of tender mercy ; ? and we may 
hope that it will be so in our case, and 
should therefore be encouraged to be 
patient under our trials. IT That the. 



104 



JAMES. 



[A. IX 60. 



Lord ; that the Lord is very piti- 
ful, and of tender mercy. 

12 But above all things, my 
orethren, swear ° not, neither by 
neaven, neither by the earth, 
neither by any other oath : but 

a Ma. 5. 34, &cc. 

Lord is very pitiful. As he showed 
deep compassion in the case of Job, 
we have equal reason to suppose that 
he will in our own. 

12. But above all things. That is, 
be especially careful on this point; 
whatever else is done let not this be. 
The manner in which James speaks 
of the practice referred to here, shows 
that he regarded it as a sin of a very 
heinous nature; one that was by all 
means to be avoided by those whom 
he addressed. The habit of swearing 
by various things was a very common 
one among the Jews, and it was im- 
portant to guard those who from among 
them had been converted to Christian- 
ity on that subject. IT Swear not. See 
this command illustrated in the Notes 
on Matt. v. 33, 34. Nearly the same 
things are mentioned here as objects 
by which they were accustomed to 
swear which are referred to by the Sa- 
viour. IT But let your yea be yea. 
Let there be a simple affirmation, un- 
accompanied by any oath or appeal to 
God or to any of his works. A man 
who makes that his common method 
of speech is the man who will be be- 
lieved. See Notes on Matt. v. 37. 
If Lest ye fall into condemnation. 
That is, for profaning the name of God. 
" The Lord will not hold him guiltless 
that taketh his name in vain." Ex. 
xx. 7. 

13. Is any among you afflicted? 
By sickness, bereavement, disappoint- 
ment, persecutions, loss of health or 
property. The word used here refers 
to suffering evil of any kind (xax07ta£u)> 
ft Let him pray. That is, prayer is 
appropriate to trial. The mind natu- 



let your yea be yea, and your 
nay, nay ; lest ye fall into con- 
demnation. 

13 Is any among you afflicted '? 
let b him pray. Is any merry? 
let him sing c psalms. 

b 2 Ch. 33. 12. Jon. 2. 2, &c. e Ep. 5. 19 

rally resorts to it, and in every way it 
is proper. God only can remove the 
source of sorrow ; he can grant unto 
us « a happy issue out of ail our afflic- 
tions ;' he can make them the means 
of sanctifying the soul. Comp. 2 Chron. 
xxxiii. 12. Ps. xxxiv. 4; cvii. 6, 13, 
28. It matters not what is the form 
of the trial, it is a privilege which all 
have to go to God in prayer. And it is 
an inestimable privilege. Health fails, 
friends die, property is lost, disappoint- 
ments come upon us, danger threatens, 
death approaches, and to whom shall 
we go but to God. He ever lives. He 
never fails us or disappoints us if we 
trust in him, and his ear is ever open 
to our cries. This would be a sad 
world indeed if it were not for the pri- 
vilege of prayer. The last resource of 
millions who suffer — for millions suffer 
every day — would be taken away if 
men were denied access to the throne 
of grace. As it is, there is no one so 
poor that he may not pray ; no one so 
disconsolate and forsaken that he may 
not find in God a friend ; no one so 
broken-hearted that he is not able to 
bind up his spirit. One of the designs 
of affliction is to lead us to the throne 
of grace ; and it is a happy result of 
trials if we are led by our trials to seek 
God in prayer. Tf Is any merry? 
The word merry now conveys an idea 
which is not properly found in the ori- 
ginal word here. It refers now in 
common usage to light and noisy plea- 
sure ; to that which is jovial ; to that 
which is attended with laughter, oi 
which causes laughter, as a merry jest. 
In the Scriptures, however, the word 
properly denotes cheerful, pleasant 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER V. 



m 



14 Is any sick a among you 1 

a Mar. 16. 18. 



agreeable, and is applied to a state of 
mind free from trouble — the opposite 
of affliction — happy. Pro v. xv. 13, 15; 
xvii. 22. Isa. xxiv. 7. Luke xv. 23, 24, 
29, 32. The Greek word used here 
(ev$vfi€t,), means literally, to have the 
mind well (sv and ^uo$) ; that is, to 
have it happy, or free from trouble ; to 
be cheerful. IT Let him sing psalms. 
That is, if any one is happy ; if he is 
in health, and is prospered ; if he has 
his friends around him, and there is no- 
thing to produce anxiety ; if he has the 
free exercise of conscience and enjoys 
religion, it is proper to express that in 
notes of praise. Comp. Eph. v. 19, 20. 
On the meaning of the word here ren- 
dered 4 sing psalms/ see Notes on Eph. 
v. 19, where it is rendered making 
melody. It does not mean to sing 
psalms in contradistinction from sing- 
ing hymns, but the reference is to any 
songs of praise. Praise is appropriate 
to such a state of mind. The heart 
naturally gives utterance to its emo- 
tions in songs of thanksgiving. -The 
sentiment in this verse is well expressed 
in the beautiful stanza, 

In every joy that crowns my days, 

In every pain I bear. 
My heart shall find delight in praise, 

Or seek relief in prayer. 

Mrs. Williams. 

14. Is any sick among you ? In 
the previous verse the reference was to 
affliction in general, and the duty there 
urged was one that was applicable to 
all forms of trial. The subject of sick- 
ness, however, is so important, since 
it so often occurs, that a specific direc- 
tion was desirable. That direction is 
to call in the aid of others to lead our 
thoughts, and to aid us in our devo- 
tions, because one who is sick is less 
able to direct his own reflections and 
to pray for himself than he is in other 
forms of trial. Nothing is said here 
respecting the degree of sickness, whe- 



let him call for the elders of the 
church ; and let them pray over 

ther it is that which would be fatal if 
these means were used or not, but the 
direction pertains to any kind of ill- 
ness. % Lei him call for the elders of 
the church. Gr. Presbyters. See Notes 
on Acts xv. 2 ; xi. 30. It cannot be 
supposed that this refers to the apostles, 
for it could not be that they would be 
always accessible ; besides, instructions 
like this were designed to have a per- 
manent character, and to be applicable 
to the church at all times and in all 
places. The reference, therefore, is 
doubtless to the ordinary religious 
teachers of the congregation ; the offi- 
cers of the church entrusted with its 
spiritual interests. The spirit of the 
command would embrace those who 
are pastors, and any others to whom 
the spiritual interests of the congrega- 
tion are confided — ruling elders, dea- 
cons, &c. If the allusion is to the or- 
dinary officers of the church, it is evi- 
dent that the cure to be hoped for (ver. 
15) was not miraculous, but was that 
to be expected in the use of appropriate 
means accompanied by prayer. It may 
be added, as worthy of note, that the 
apostle says they should « call 1 for the 
elders of the church; that is, they 
should send for them. They should 
not wait for them to hear of their sick- 
ness, as they might happen to, but 
they should cause them to be informed 
of it, and give them an opportunity of 
visiting them and praying w r ith them 
Nothing is more common than for per- 
sons — even members of the church — to 
be sick a long time, and to presume 
that their pastor must know all about 
it ; and then they wonder that he does 
not come to see them, and think hard 
of him because he does not. A pastor 
cannot be supposed to know every 
thing ; nor can it be presumed that he 
knows when persons are sick any mora 
than he can know any thing else, un- 
less he is apprised of it; and many 



106- 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60 



him, anointing him with oil in 
the name of the Lord: 

hard thoughts, and many suspicions 
of neglect would be avoided, if, when 
persons are sick, they would in some 
way inform their pastor of it. It should 
always be presumed of a minister of 
the gospel that he is ready to visit the 
sick. But how can he go unless he is 
in some way apprised of the illness of 
those wha need his counsel and his 
prayers 1 The sick send for their fa- 
mily physician , why should they pre- 
sume that their pastor will know of 
their illness any more than that their 
physician will 1 f And let them pray 
over him. With him, and for him. 
A man who is sick is often little capa- 
ble of praying himself ; and it is a pri- 
vilege to have some one to lead his 
thoughts in devotion. Besides, the 
prayer of a good man may be of avdl 
in restoring him to health, ver. 15. 
Prayer is always one important means 
of obtaining the divine favour, and 
there is no place where it is more ap- 
propriate than by the bed-side of sick- 
ness. That relief from pain may be 
granted ; that the mind may be calm 
and submissive; that the medicines 
employed may be blessed to a restora- 
tion to health ; that past sins may be 
forgiven ; that he who is sick may be 
sanctified by his trials ; that he may 
be restored to health, or prepared for 
his « last change' — all these are subjects 
of prayer which we feel to be appro- 
priate in such a case, and every sick 
man should avail himself of the aid of 
those who < have an interest at the 
throne of grace,' that they may be ob- 
tained. IT Anointing him with oil. 
Oil, or unguents of various kinds, were 
much used among the ancients, both 
in health and in sickness. The oil 
which was commonly emploved was 
olive oil. See Notes on Isa. i. 6. Luke 
x. 34. The custom of anointing the 
sick with oil still prevails in the East, 
for it is believed to have medicinal or, 



15 And the prayer of faith 
shall save the sick, and the Lord 

healing properties. Niebuhr (Beschr- 
ieb. von Arabien, s. 131) says, « The 
southern Arabians believe that to an- 
oint with oil strengthens the body, and 
secures it against the oppressive heat 
of the sun, as they go nearly naked. 
They believe that the oil closes the 
pores of the skin, and thus prevents 
the effect of the excessive heat by which 
the body is so much weakened ; per- 
haps also they regard it as contributing 
to beauty, by giving the skin a glossy 
appearance. I myself frequently have 
observed that the sailors in the ships 
from Dsjidda and Loheia, as well as 
the common Arabs in Tehama, an- 
ointed their bodies with oil, in order to 
guard themselves against the heat. 
The Jews in Mocha assured Mr. For- 
skal, that the Mohammedans as well 
as the Jews, in Sana, when they were 
sick, were accustomed to anoint the 
body with oil.' Rosenmuller, Morgen- 
land, in loc. IT In the name of the 
Lord. By the authority or direction 
of the Lord ; or as an act in accord- 
ance with his will, and that will meet 
with his approbation. When we do 
any thing that tends to promote virtue, 
to alleviate misery, to instruct igno- 
rance, to save life, or to prepare others 
for heaven, it is right to feel that 
we are doing it in the name of the 
Lord. Comp. for such uses of the 
phrase « in the name of the Lord,' and 
< in my name/ Matt. x. 22 ; xviii. 5, 20 ; 
xix. 29 ; xxiv. 9. Mark ix. 41 ; xiii. 13. 
Luke xxi. 12, 17. Rev. ii. 3. Col. iii. 
17. There is no reason to think that 
the phrase is used here to denote any 
peculiar religious rite or « sacrament/ 
It was to be done in the name of the 
Lord, as any other good deed is. 

15. And the prayer of faith. The 
prayer offered in faith, or in the exer- 
cise of confidence in God. It is not 
said that the particular form of the faith 
exercised shall be that the sick man 



A.D. 60.1 



CHAPTER V. 



107 



shall raise him up; and if a he 

a Is. 33. 24. 

will certainly recover; but there is to 
be unwavering confidence in God, a 
belief that he will do what is best, 
and a cheerful committing of the cause 
intr his hands. We express our ear- 
nest wish, and leave the case with him. 
The prayer of faith is to accompany 
the use of means, for ah means would 
be ineffectual without the blessing of 
God. IT Shall save the sick, and the 
Lord shall raise him up. This must 
be understood, as such promises are 
everywhere, with this restriction, that 
they will be restored to health if it shall 
be the will of God ; if he shall deem it 
for the best. It cannot be taken in the 
absolute and unconditional sense, for 
then, if these means were used, the 
sick person would always recover, no 
matter how often he might be sick, and 
he need never die. The design is to 
encourage them to the use of these 
means with a strong hope that it would 
be effectual. It may fairly be inferred 
from this statement (1.) That there 
would be cases, in large numbers, where 
these means would be attended with 
this happy result ; and (2.) That there 
was so much encouragement to do it 
that it would be proper in any case of 
sickness to make use of these means. 
It may be added that no one can de- 
monstrate that this promise has not 
been in numerous instances fulfilled. 
There are instances, not a few, where 
recovery from sickness seems to be in 
direct answer to prayer, and no one 
can prove that it is not so. Compare 
the case of Hezekiah, in Isa. xxxviii. 
1 — 5. IT And if he have committed 
sins, they shall be forgiven him. Per- 
haps there may be a particular allusion 
here to sins which may have brought 
on the sickness as a punishment. In 
that case the removal of the disease in 
answer to prayer would be an evidence 
tfiat the sin was pardoned. Comp. 
Matt. ix. 2. But the promise may be 



have committed sins, they shall 
be forgiven him. 

understood in a more general sense as 
denoting that such sickness would be 
the means of bringing the sins of the 
past life to remembrance, especially if 
the one who was sick had been unfaith- 
ful to his Christian vows; and that the 
sickness in connection with the prayers 
offered would bring him to true repent- 
ance, and would recover him from his 
wanderings. On backsliding and err- 
ing Christians sickness often has this 
effect, and the subsequent life is so de- 
voted and consistent as to show that 
the past unfaithfulness of him who has 
been afflicted is forgiven. 

This passage (vs. 14, 15) is import- 
ant not only for the counsel which it 
gives to the sick, but because it has 
been employed by the Roman Catholic 
communion as almost the only portion 
of the Bible referred to to sustain one 
of the peculiar rites of their religion — 
that of « extreme unction' — a 4 sacra- 
ment/ as they suppose, to be adminis- 
tered to those who are dying. It is of 
importance, therefore, to inquire more 
particularly into its meaning. There 
can be but three views taken of the 
passage : I. That it refers to a mira- 
culous healing by the apostles, or by 
other early ministers of religion who 
were endowed with the power of heal- 
ing diseases in this manner. This 
is the interpretation of Doddridge, 
Macknight, Benson, and others. But 
to this view the objections seem to me 
to be insuperable : (a) Nothing of this 
kind is said by the apostle, and this is 
not necessary to be supposed in order 
to a fair interpretation of the passage. 
(b) The reference, as already observed, 
is clearly not to the apostles, but to the 
ordinary officers of the church, for such 
a reference would be naturally under- 
stood by the word presbyters ; and to 
suppose that this refers to miracles, 
would be to suppose that this was a 
common endowment of the ordinary 



108 



JAMES. 



[A.D. 60. 



ministers of religion. Bat there was 
no promise of this, and there is no evi- 
dence that they possessed it. In regar3 
to the extent of the promise, « they 
shall lay hands on the sick and they 
shall recover," see Notes on Mark xvi. 
17, 18. (c) If this referred to the 
power of working miracles, and if the 
promise was absolute, then death would 
not have occurred at all among the 
early disciples. It would have been 
easy to secure a restoration to health 
in any instance where a minister of 
religion was at hand. II. It is sup- 
posed by the Roman Catholics to give 
sanction to the practice of < extreme 
unction/ and to prove that this was 
practised in the primitive church. But 
the objections to this are still more ob- 
vious : (a) It was not to be performed 
at death, or in the immediate prospect 
of death, but in sickness at any time. 
There is no hint that it was to be only 
when the patient was past all hope of 
recovery, or in view of the fact that he 
was to die. But « extreme unction,' 
from its very nature, is to be practised 
only where the patient is past all hope 
of recovery, (b) It was not with a view 
to his death, but to his living, that it 
was to be practised at all. It was not 
that he might be prepared to die, but 
that he might be restored to health — 
" and the prayer of faith shall save the 
sick, and the Lord shall raise him up" 
But 'extreme unction' can be with no 
such reference and no such hope. It 
is only with the expectation that the 
patient is about to die ; and if there 
were any expectation that he would 
be raised up even by this ordinance, it 
could not be administered as 'extreme 
unction.' (c) The ordinance practised 
as < extreme unction' is a rite wholly 
unauthorized in the Scriptures, unless 
it be by this passage. There are in- 
stances indeed of persons being em- 
balmed after death ; it was a fact also 
that the Saviour said of Mary, when 
she poured ointment on his body, that 
she « did it for his burial' or with re- 



ference to his burial (Notes, Matt, xxvi 
12) ; but the Saviour did not say that 
it was with reference to his death, or 
was designed in any way to prepare 
him to die, nor is there any instance in 
the Bible in which such a rite is men- 
tioned. The ceremony of extreme unc- 
tion has its foundation in two things 
first, in superstition, in the desire of 
something that shall operate as a charm, 
or that shall possess physical efficiency 
in calming the apprehensions of a trou- 
bled conscience, and in preparing the 
guilty to die ; and, second, in the fact 
that it gives immense power to the 
priesthood. Nothing is better adapted 
to impart such power than a prevalent 
belief that a minister of religion holds 
in his hands the ability to alleviate the 
pangs of the dying, and to furnish a 
sure passport to a world of bliss. There 
is deep philosophy in that which has 
led to the belief of this doctrine, for 
the dying look around for consola- 
tion and support, and they grasp at 
any thing which will promise ease to 
a troubled conscience, and the hope of 
heaven. The gospel has made arrange- 
ments to meet this state of mind in a 
better way — in the evidence which the 
guilty may have that by repentance 
and faith their sins are blotted out 
through the blood of the cross. III. The 
remaining supposition, therefore, and, 
as it seems to me, the true one, is, that 
the anointing with oil was, in accord- 
ance with a common custom, regarded 
as medicinal, and that a blessing was 
to be invoked on this as a means of 
restoration to health. Besides what 
has been already said, the following 
suggestions may be made in addition : 
(a) This was, as we have seen, a com- 
mon usage in the East, and is to this 
day. (b) This interpretation meets all 
that is demanded to a fair understand- 
ing of what is said by the apostle, (c) 
Every thing thus directed is rational 
and proper. It is proper to call in the 
ministers of religion in time of sick- 
ness, and to ask their counsels and 



A.D. 60.] CHAP' 
16 Confess a your faults one 

a Ac. 19. 18. 

their prayers. It is proper to make 
use of the ordinary means of restora- 
tion to health. It was proper then, as 
it is now, to do this 1 in the name of 
the Lord that is, believing that it is 
in accordance with his benevolent ar- 
rangements, and making use of means 
which he has appointed. And it was 
proper then, as it is now, having made 
use of those means, to implore the di- 
vine blessing on them, and* to feel that 
their efficacy depends wholly on him. 
Thus used, there was ground of hope 
and of faith in regard to the recovery 
of the sufferer ; and no one can show 
that in thousands of instances in the 
apostles' day, and since, the prayer of 
faith, accompanying the proper use of 
means, may not have raised up those 
who were on the borders of the grave, 
and who but for these means would 
have died. 

16. Confess your faults one to an- 
other. This seems primarily to refer 
to those who were sick, since it is add- 
ed, * that ye may be healed. 1 The fair 
interpretation is, that it might be sup- 
posed that such confession would con- 
tribute to a restoration to health. The 
case supposed all along here (see ver. 
15) is, that the sickness referred to had 
been brought upon the patient for his 
sins, apparently as a punishment for 
some particular transgressions. Comp. 
Notes on 1 Cor. xi. .30. In such a 
case, it is said that if those who were 
sick would make confession of their 
sins, it would, in connection with 
prayer, be an important means of resto- 
ration to health. The duty inculcated, 
and which is equally binding on all 
now, is, that if we are sick, and are 
conscious that we have injured any 
persons, to make confession to them. 
This indeed is a duty at all times, but 
in health it is often neglected, and there 
is a special propriety that such confes* 
sion should be made when we are sick. 
10 



n ER V. 109 

to another, and pray one for an- 



The particular reason for doing it which 
is here specified is, that it would con- 
tribute to a restoration to health — « that 
ye may be healed.' In the case speci- 
fied, this might be supposed to contri- 
bute to a restoration to health from one 
of two causes: (1.) If the sickness had 
been brought upon them as a special 
act of divine visitation for sin, it might 
be hoped that when the confession was 
made the hand of God would be with- 
drawn ; or (2.) In any case, if the mind 
was troubled by the recollection of 
guilt, it might be hoped that tho calm- 
ness and peace resulting from confes- 
sion would be favourable to a restora- 
tion to health. The former case wouM 
of course be more applicable to the 
times of the apostles* the latter would 
pertain to all times. Disease is often 
greatly aggravated by the trouble of 
mind which arises from conscious guilt, 
and in such a case nothing will contri- 
bute more directly to recovery than the 
restoration of peace to the soul agitated 
by guilt, and by the dread of a judg- 
ment to come. This may be secured 
by confession — confession made first 
to God, and then to those who are 
wronged. It may be added that this 
is a duty to which we are prompted by 
the very nature of our feelings when 
we are sick, and by the fact that no 
one is willing to die with guilt on his 
conscience; without having done every 
thing that he can tobe at peace with all 
the world. This passage is one on which 
Roman Catholics rely to demonstrate 
the propriety of * auricular confession, 1 
or confession made to a priest with a 
view to an absolution of sin. The 
doctrine which is held on that point is, 
that it is a duty to confess to a priest, 
at certain seasons, all our sins, secret 
and open, of which we have been 
guilty ; all our improper thoughts, de- 
sires, words and actions; and that the 
priest has power to declare on suco 



ilO 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60 



other, that ye may be healed. 

cPs. Ho. 19. 

confession that the sins are forgiven. 
But never was any text less pertinent 
to prove a doctrine than this passage 
to demonstrate that. For (1.) The 
confession here enjoined is not to be 
made by a person in health, that he 
may obtain salvation, but by a sick 
person, that he may be healed; (2.) 
As mutual confession is here enjoined, 
a priest would be as much bound to 
confess to the people as the people to 
a priest ; (3.) No mention is made of 
a priest at all, or even of a minister of 
religion, as the one to whom the con- 
fession is to be made ; (4.) The con- 
fession referred to is for < faults' with 
reference to < one another;' that is, 
where one has injured another, and 
nothing is said of confessing faults 
* to those whom we have not injured 
at all ; (5.) There is no mention here 
of absolution either by a priest or any 
other person ; (6.) If any thing is 
meant by absolution that is scriptural, 
it may as well be pronounced by one 
person as another; by a layman as a 
clergyman. All that it can mean is, 
that God promises pardon to those who 
are truly penitent, and this fact may 
as well be stated by one person as an- 
other. No priest, no man whatever, is 
empowered to say to another either 
that he is truly penitent, or to forgive 
sin. 'Who can forgive sins but God 
only]' None but he whose law has 
been violated, or whahas been wronged, 
can pardon an offence. No third per- 
son can forgive a sin which a man has 
committed against a neighbour; no one 
Out a parent can pardon the offences 
of which his own children have been 
guilty towards him; and who can put 
himself in the place of God, and pre- 
sume to pardon the sins which his 
creatures have committed against him? 
(7.) The practice of ' auricular confes- 
sion' is < evil, and only evil, and that 



The effectual fervent prayer of 
a righteous man availeth much. 

continually.' Nothing gives so much 
power to a priesthood as the suppo- 
sition that they have the power of 
absolution. Nothing serves so much 
to pollute the soul as to keep impure 
thoughts before the mind long enough 
to make the confession, and to state 
them in words. Nothing gives a man 
so much power over a female as to 
have it supposed that it is required by 
religion, and appertains to the sacred 
office, that all that passes in the mind 
should be disclosed to him. The thought 
which but for the necessity of confes- 
sion would have vanished at once; the 
image which would have departed as 
soon as it came before the mind but 
for the necessity of retaining it to make 
confession — these are the things over 
which a man would seek to have con- 
trol, and to which he would desire to 
have access, if he wished to accomplish 
purposes of villany. The very thing 
which a seducer would desire would 
be the power of knowing all the 
thoughts of his intended victim ; and 
if the thoughts which pass through 
the soul could be known, virtue would 
be safe nowhere. Nothing probably 
under the name of religion has ever 
done more to corrupt the morals of a 
community than the practice of auricu- 
lar confession, j And pray for one 
another. One for the other ; mutually. 
Those who have done injury, and those 
who are injured, should pray for each 
other. The apostle does not seem here, 
as in vs. 14, 15, to refer particularly to 
the prayers of the ministers of religion, 
or the elders of the church, but refers 
to it as a duty appertaining to all 
Christians, That ye may be healed. 
Not with reference to death, and there- 
fore not relating to 'extreme unction,' 
but in order that the sick may be re- 
stored again to health. This is said 
in connection with the duty of canfes- 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER V. 



Ill 



sion, as well as prayer, and it seems 
to be implied that both might contri- 
bute to a restoration to health. Of the 
way in which prayer would do this, 
there can be no doubt, for all healing 
comes from God, and it is reasonable 
to suppose that this might be bestowed 
in answer to prayer. Of the way in 
which confession might do this, see the 
remarks already made, We should 
be deciding without evidence if we 
should say that sickness never comes 
now as a particular judgment for some 
forms of sin, and that it might not be 
removed if the suffering offender would 
make full confession to God, or to him 
whom he has wronged, and should re- 
solve to offend no more. Perhaps this 
is, oftener than we suppose, one of the 
methods which God takes to bring his 
offending and backsliding children back 
to himself, or to warn and reclaim the 
guilty. When, after being laid on a 
bed of pain, his children are led to re- 
flect on their violated vows and their 
unfaithfulness, and resolve to sin no 
more, they are raised up again to health, 
and made eminently useful to the 
church. So calamity, by disease or in 
other forms, often comes upon the vi- 
cious and the abandoned. They are 
led to reflection and to repentance. 
They resolve to reform, and the natural 
effects of their sinful course are arrest- 
ed, and they become examples of virtue 
and usefulness in the world. ^ The 
effectual fervent prayer. The word 
effectual is not the most happy trans- 
lation here, since it seems to do little 
more than to state a truism — that a 
prayer which is effectual is availing — 
that is, that it is effectual. The Greek 
word (ivspyovfuvq) would be better 
rendered by the word energetic, which 
indeed is derived from it. The word 
properly refers to that which has power ; 
which in its own nature is fitted to 
produce an effect. It is not so much 
that it actually does produce an effect, 
as that it is fitted to do it. This is the 



kind of prayer referred to here. It is 
not listless, indifferent, cold, lifeless, as 
if there were no vitality in it or power, 
but that which is adapted to be effi- 
cient — earnest, sincere, hearty, perse- 
vering. There is but a single word in 
the original to answer to the translation 
effectual fervent, Macknight and Dod- 
dridge suppose that the reference is to 
a kind of prayer 'inwrought by the 
Spirit/ or the « inwrought prayer but 
the whole force of the original is ex- 
pressed by the word energetic, or ear- 
nest. IT Of a righteous man. The 
quality on which the success of the 
prayer depends is not the talent, learn- 
ing, rank, wealth, or office of the man 
who prays, but the fact that he is a 
1 righteous man that is, a good man, 
and this may be found in the ranks of 
the poor as certainly as the rich ; among 
laymen as well as among the ministers 
of religion ; among slaves as well as 
among their masters. IT Availeth much. 
tcrgvst* Is strong ; has efficacy ; pre- 
vails. The idea of strength or power 
is that which enters into the word ; 
strength that overcomes resistance and 
secures the object. Comp. Matt. vii. 
28. Acts xix. 16. Rev. xii. 8. It has 
been said that * prayer moves the arm 
that moves the world and if there is 
any thing that can prevail with God it 
is prayer — humble, fervent, earnest pe- 
titioning. We have no power to con- 
trol him ; we cannot dictate or prescribe 
to him ; we cannot resist him in the 
execution of his purposes ; but we may 
ask him for what we desire, and he 
has graciously said that such asking 
may effect much for our own good and 
the good of our fellow-men. Nothing 
has been more clearly demonstrated in 
the history of the world than that 
prayer is effectual in obtaining bless- 
ings from God, and in accomplishing 
great and valuable purposes. It haa 
indeed no intrinsic power, but God has 
graciously purposed that his favour 
shall be granted to those who call upon 



112 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60. 



17 Elias was a man subject to 
like passions as we are, and he 
a prayed 1 earnestly that it might 

a 1 Ki. 17. 1. 1 or, in prayer, 

b 1 Ki. 18. 42, 45. 

him, and that what no mere human 
power can effect should be produced 
by his power in answer to prayer. 

17 Elias, The common way of 
writing the word Elijah in the New 
Testament. Matt. xi. 14; xvi. 14; 
xvii. 3 > &c. IT Was a man subject to 
like passions as we are. This does 
not mean that Elijah was passionate 
in the sense in which that word is now 
commonly used ; that is, that he was 
excitable or irritable, or that he was 
the victim of the same corrupt passions 
and propensities to which other men 
are subject, but that he was like affect- 
ed; that he was capable of suffering 
the same things, or being affected in 
the same manner. In other words, he 
was a mere man, subject to the same 
weaknesses and infirmities as other 
men. Comp. Notes on Acts xiv. 15. 
The apostle is illustrating the efficacy 
of prayer. In doing this he refers to 
an undoubted case where prayer had 
such efficacy. But to this it might be 
objected that Elijah was a distinguished 
prophet, and that it was reasonable to 
suppose that his prayer would be heard. 
It might be said that his example 
could not be adduced to prove that the 
prayers of those who were not favoured 
with such advantages would be heard, 
and especially that it could not be ar- 
gued from his case that the prayers of 
the ignorant, and of the weak, and of 
children and of servants, would be an- 
swered. To meet this, the apostle says 
that he was a mere man ; with the 
same natural propensities and infirmi- 
ties as other men, and that therefore 
his case is one which should encourage 
all to pray. It was an instance of the 
efficacy of prayer, and not an illustra- 
tion of the power of a prophet. If And 
he prayed earnestly, Gr. « He prayed \ 



not rain; and it rained not on 
the earth by the space of three 
years and six months. 

18 And he prayed again, b and 



with prayer' — a Hebraism to denote 
that he prayed earnestly. Comp. Luke 
xxii. 1 5. This manner of speaking ig 
common in Hebrew. Comp. 1 Sam. 
xxvi. 25. Ps. cxviii. 18. Lam. i. % 
The reference here is undoubtedly to 

I Kings xvii. 1. In that place, how- 
ever, it is not said that Elijah prayed, 
but that he said, « As the Lord God of 
Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there 
shall not be dew nor rain these three 
years but according to my word." 
Either James interprets this as a prayer, 
because it could be accomplished only 
by prayer, or he states what had been 
handed down by tradition as the way 
in which the miracle was effected. 
There can be no reasonable doubt that 
prayer was employed in the case, for 
even the miracles of the Saviour were 
accomplished in connection with prayer. 
John xi. 41, 42. IT That it might not 
rain. Not to gratify any private re- 
sentment of his, but as a punishment 
on the land for the idolatry which pre- 
vailed in the time of Ahab. Famine 
was one of the principal methods by 
which God punished his people for 
their sins. % And it rained not on 
the earth. On the land of Palestine, 
for so the word earth is frequently un- 
derstood in the. Bible. See Notes on 
Luke ii. 1. There is no reason to 
suppose that the famine extended be- 
yond the country that was subject to 
Ahab. IT By the space. For the time. 

II Of three years and six months. See 
this explained in the Notes on Luke 
iv. 25. Comp. Lightfoot, Horae He- 
braicse, on Luke iv. 25. 

18. And he prayed again. The 
allusion here seems to be to 1 Kinga 
xviii. 42, 45, though it is not expressly 
said there that he prayed. Perhaps it 
might be fairly gathered from the rsar- 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER V. 



113 



the heaven gave rain, and the 
earth brought forth her fruit. 
19 Brethren, if any of you do 

a Mat. 18. 15. 

rative that he did pray, or at least that 
would be the presumption, for he put 
himself into a natural attitude of prayer. 
" He cast himself down upon the earth, 
and put his face between his knees." 
1 Kings xviii. 42. In such circum- 
otances it is to be fairly presumed that 
luch a man would pray ; but it is re- 
markable that it is not expressly men- 
tioned, and quite as remarkable that 
James should have made his argument 
turn on a thing which is not expressly 
mentioned, but which seems to have 
been a matter of inference. It seems 
probable to me, therefore, that there 
was some tradition on which he relied, 
or that it was a common interpretation 
of the passage 2 in 1 Kings, that Elijah 
prayed earnestly, and that this was 
generally believed by those to whom the 
apostle wrote. Of the fact that Elijah 
Was a man of prayer, no one could doubt ; 
and in these circumstances the tradition 
tmd common belief were sufficient to 
justify the argument which is employed 
here. IT And the heaven gave rain. 
The clouds gave rain. " The heaven 
Was black with clouds and wind, and 
there was a great rain." 1 Kings xviii. 
45. IT And the earth brought forth 
her fruit. The famine ceased, and the 
land again became productive. The 
case referred to here was indeed a mi- 
racle, but it was a case of the power 
of prayer, and therefore to the point. 
if God would work a miracle in answer 
to prayer, it is reasonable to presume 
that he will bestow upon us the bless- 
ings which we need in the same way. 

19. Brethren, if any of you do err 
from the truth. Either doctrinally 
and speculatively, by embracing error; 
or practically, by falling into sinful 
practices. Either of these may be 
called ' erring from the truth,' because 
thev are contrary to what the truth 
10* 



err from the truth, and one 6 
convert him, 

20 Let him know, that he 
which converteth the sinner from 

teaches and requires. What is here 
said does not appear to have any con- 
nection with what precedes, but the 
apostle seems to have supposed that 
such a case mignt occur ; and, in the 
conclusion of the epistle, he called their 
attention to the importance of endea- 
vouring to save an erring brother, if 
such an instance should happen. The 
exhortation would be proper in address- 
ing a letter to any church, or in pub- 
licly addressing any congregation. 
% And one convert him. This does 
not mean convert him as a sinner, or 
regenerate him, but turn him from the 
error of his way ; bring him back from 
his wanderings; re-establish him in the 
truth, and in the practice of virtue and 
religion. So far as the word used here 
is concerned (s^fccf-fpf^)' he who had 
erred from the truth, and who was to 
be converted, may have been a true 
Christian before. The word means 
simply to turn — sc., from his way of 
error. See Notes on Luke xxii. 32. 

20. Let him know. Let him who 
converts the other know for his en- 
couragement. IT That he which con- 
verteth the sinner from the error of his 
way. Any sinner ; any one who has 
done wrong. This is a general princi- 
ple applicable to this case and to all 
others of the same kind. It is a uni- 
versal truth that he who turns a sinner 
from a wicked path does a work which 
is acceptable to God, and which will in 
some way receive tokens of his appro- 
bation. Comp. Deut. xii. 3. No work 
which man can perform is more ac- 
ceptable to God ; none will be followed 
with higher rewards. In the language 
wjiich is used here by the apostle, it \n 
evidently intended not to deny that suc- 
cess in converting a sinner, or in reclaim- 
ing one from the error of his ways, is to 
be trace I to the grace of God ; but the 



JAMES. 



[A. D. 60. 



the error of his way shall save a 

a Pr. 10. 12. 1 Pe. 4. 8. 

apostle here refers only to the divine 
feeling towards the individual who 
shall attempt it, and the rewards which 
he may hope to receive. The reward 
bestowed, the good intended and done, 
would be the same as if the individual 
were able to do the work himself. God 
approves and loves his aims and efforts, 
though the success is ultimately to be 
traced to himself, f Shall save a soul 
from death. It has been doubted 
whether this refers to his own soul, or 
to the soul of him who is converted. 
Several manuscripts, and the Vulgate, 
Striae, Arabic, and Coptic versions, 
here read, « his soul.' The most natu- 
ral interpretation of the passage is, to 
refer it to the soul of the one converted 
rather than of him who converts him. 
This accords better with the uniform 
teaching of the New Testament, since 
it is nowhere else taught that the me- 
thod of saving our souls is by convert- 
ing others; and this interpretation will 
meet all that the scope of the passage 
demands. The object of the apostle is 
to present a motive for endeavouring 
to convert one who has wandered away; 
and assuredly a sufficient motive for 
that is furnished in the fact that by 
this means an immortal soul would be 
saved from eternal ruin. The word 
death here must refer to eternal death, 
or to future punishment. There is no 
other death which the soul is in danger 
of dying. The body dies and moulders 
away, but the soul is immortal. The 
apostle cannot mean that he would 
save the soul from annihilation, for it 
is in no danger of that. This passage 
proves, then, that there is a death which 
the soul may die ; that there is a con- 
dition which may properly be called 
death as a consequence of sin ; and 
that the soul will suffer that unless* it 
is converted. % And shall hide a mul- 
titude of sins. Shall cover them over 
so that they shall not be seen ; that is, 



soul from death, and shall hide 3 
a multitude of sins. 

they shall not be punished. This must 
mean either the sins which he has com- 
mitted who is thus converted and saved, 
or the sins of him who converts him. 
Whichever is the meaning, a strong 
motive is presented for endeavouring 
to save a sinner from the error of his 
ways. It is not easy to determine 
which is the true sense. Expositors 
have been about equally divided respect- 
ing the meaning. Doddridge adopts 
substantially both interpretations, para- 
phrasing it, " not only procuring the 
pardon of those committed by the con- 
vert, but also engaging God to look 
with greater indulgence on his own 
character, and to be less ready to mark 
severely what he has done amiss." 
The Jews regarded it as a meritorious 
act to turn a sinner from the error of 
his ways, and it is possible that James 
may have had some of their maxims in 
his eye. Comp. Clarke, in loc. Though 
it may not be possible to determine 
with certainty whether the apostle here 
refers to the sins of him who converts 
another, or of him who is converted, 
yet it seems to me that the reference is 
probably to the latter, for the following 
reasons: (1.) Such an interpretation 
will meet all that is fairly implied in 
the language. (2.) This interpretation 
will furnish a strong motive for what 
the apostle expects us to do. The 
motive presented is, according to this, 
that sin will 'not be punished. But 
this is always a good motive for put- 
ting forth efforts in the cause of religion, 
and quite as powerful when drawn 
from our doing good to others as when 
applied to ourselves. (3.) This is a 
safe interpretation ; the other is at- 
tended with danger. According to 
this, the effort would be one of pure 
benevolence, and there would be no 
danger of depending on what we do 
as a ground of acceptance with God. 
The other interpretation would seem 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER V. 



115 



to teach that our sins might be forgiven 
on some other ground than that of the 
atonement — by virtue of some act of 
our own. And (4.) There might be 
danger, if it be supposed that this refers 
to the fact that our sins are to be co- 
vered up by this act, of supposing that 
by endeavouring to convert others we 
may live in sin with impunity ; that 
however we live we shall be safe if we 
lead others to repentance and salvation. 
If the motive be the simple desire to 
hide the sins of others ; to procure their 
pardon ; to save a soul from death 
without any supposition that by that 
we are making an atonement for our 
own sins, it is a good one, a safe one. 
But if the idea is that by this act we 
are making some atonement for our 
own offences, and that we may thus 
work out a righteousness of our own, 
the idea is one that is every way dan- 
gerous to the great doctrine of justifi- 
cation by faith, and is contrary to the 
whole teaching of the Bible. For these 
reasons it seems to me that the true 
interpretation is, that the passage refers 
to the sins of others, not our own ; and 
tfiat the simple motive here presented 
is, that in this way we may save a fel- 



low sinner from being punished for his 
sins. It may be added, in the conclu- 
sion of the Notes on this epistle, that 
this motive is one which is sufficient 
to stimulate us to great and constant 
efforts to save others. Sin is the 
source of all the evil in the universe, 
and the great object which a benevo- 
lent heart ought to have should be that 
its desolating effects may be stayed : 
that the sinner may be pardoned ; and 
that the guilty soul may be saved from 
its consequences in the future world. 
This is the design of God in the plan 
of redemption ; this was the object of 
the Saviour in giving himself to die ; 
this is the purpose of the Holy Spirit 
in renewing and sanctifying the soul ; 
and this is the great end of all those 
acts of divine providence by which the 
sinner is warned and turned to God. 
When we come to die, as we shall 
soon, it will give us more pleasure to 
be able to recollect that we have been 
the means of saving one soul from 
death, than to have enjoyed all the 
pleasures which sense can furnish, or 
to have gained all the honour and wealth 
which the world can give. 



THE 

FIRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER 



INTRODUCTION. 

The first epistle of Peter has never been doubted to be the production of th« 
apostle of that name. While there were doubts respecting the genuineness of 
the second epistle (see Intro, to that epistle, § 1), the unvarying testimony of his- 
tory, and the uniform belief of the church, ascribe this epistle to him. Indeed, 
there is no ancient writing whatever of which there is more certainty in regard 
to the authorship. 

The history of Peter is so fully detailed in the New Testament, that it is not 
necessary to go into any extended statement of his biography in order to an 
exposition of his epistles. No particular light would be reflected on them 
from the details of his life; and in order, therefore, to their exposition, it is 
not necessary to have any farther information of him than what is contained in 
the New Testament itself. Those who may wish to obtain all the knowledge 
of his life which can now be had, may find ample details in Lardner, vol. vi. 
pp. 203 — 254, ed. London, 1829; Koppe, Proleg. ; and Bacon's Lives of the 
Apostles, pp. 43 — 286. There are some questions, however, which it is im- 
portant to consider in order to an intelligent understanding of his epistles. 

§ 1. The persons to whom the first Epistle was addressed. 
This epistle purports to have been addressed " to the strangers scattered 
throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." All these were 
provinces of Asia Minor, and there is no difficulty, therefore, in regard to the 
places where those to whom the epistle was written resided. The only ques- 
tion is, who they were who are thus designated as « strangers scattered abroad/ 
or strangers of the dispersion (jtapfrttSjj^ots Siatfrtopas). Comp. Notes on ch. 
i. 1. In regard to this, various opinions have been held. 

(1.) That they were native-born Jews, who had been converted to the Chris- 
tian faith. Of this opinion were Eusebius, Jerome, Grotius, Beza, Mill, Cave, 
and others. The principal argument for this opinion is, the appellation given 
to them, ch. i. 1, 4 strangers scattered abroad,' and what is said in ch. ii. 9 ; iii. 
6, which it is supposed is language which would be applied only to those of 
Hebrew extraction. 

(2.) A second opinion has been that the persons to whom it was sent were 
all of Gentile origin. Of this opinion were Procopius, Cassiodorus, and more 
recently Wetstein. This belief is founded chiefly on such passages as the fol- 
lowing, ch. i. 18 ; ii. 10; iv. 3, which are supposed to show that they who 
were thus addressed were formerly idolaters. 
( cxvi) 



INTRODUCTION. 



CXV11 



(3.) A third opinion has been that they were Gentiles by birth, but had been 
Jewish proselytes, or < Proselytes of the Gate,' and had then been converted to 
Christianity. This sentiment was defended by Miehaelis, chiefly on the ground 
hat the phrase in ch. i. 1, < strangers of the dispersion/ when followed by the 
name of a heathen country or people, in the genitive case, denotes the Jews 
who were dispersed there, and yet that there is evidence in the epistle that they 
were not native-born Jews. 

(4.) A fourth opinion has been that the persons referred to were not Jews in 
general, but those of the ten tribes who had wandered from Babylon and the 
adjacent regions into Asia Minor. This opinion is mentioned by Miehaelis aa 
having been entertained by some persons, but no reasons are assigned for it. 

(5.) A fifth opinion has been that the persons referred to were Christians, 
converted from both Jews and Gentiles, with no particular reference to their 
extraction ; that there were those among them who had been converted from 
the Jews, and those who had been Gentiles, and that the apostle addresses them 
as Christians, though employing language such as the Jews had been accus- 
tomed to when speaking of those of their own nation who were scattered abroad. 
This is the opinion of Lardner, Estius, Whitby, Wolfius, and Doddridge. 

That this last opinion is the correct one, seems to me to be clear from the 
epistle itself. Nothing can be plainer than that the apostle, while in the main 
he addresses Christians as such, whether they had been Jews or heathen, yet 
occasionally makes such allusions, and uses such language, as to show that he 
had his eye, at one time, on some who had been Jews, and again on some who 
had been pagans. This is clear, I think, from the following considerations : 

1. The address of the epistle is general, not directed particularly either to the 
Tews or to the Gentiles. Thus in ch. v. 14, he says, " Peace be with you all 
that are in Christ Jesus.'* From this it would seem that the epistle was ad- 
dressed to all true Christians in the region designated in ch. i. 1. But no one 
can doubt that there were Christians there who had been Jews, and also those 
who had been Gentiles. The same thing is apparent from the second epistle, 
for it is certain from 2 Pet. iii. 2, that the second epistle was addressed to the 
6ame persons as the first. But the address in the second epistle is to Christians 
residing in Asia Minor, without particular reference to their origin. Thus in 
ch. i. 1, " To them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the 
righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." The same thing is appa- 
rent also from the address of the first epistle; "To the elect strangers scattered 
throughout Pontus," &c. That is, « to the strangers of the dispersion who are 
chosen, or who are true Christians, scattered abroad.' The term « elect' is one 
which would apply to all who were Christians ; and the phrase < the strangers 
of the dispersion,' is that which one who had been educated as a Hebrew would 
be likely to apply to those whom he regarded as the people of God dwelling 
out of Palestine. The Jews were accustomed to use this expression to denote 
their own people who were dispersed among the Gentiles, and nothing would 
be more natural than that one who had been educated as a Hebrew and then 
converted to Christianity, as Peter had been, should apply this phrase indiscri- 
minately to Christians living out of Palestine. See the Notes on the passage* 
These considerations make it clear that in writing this epistle he had reference 
to Christians as such, and meant that all who were Christians in the parts of 
Asia Minor which he mentions (ch. i. 1), should regard the epistle as addressed 
fo them. Yet, 

2. There are some allusions in the epistle which look as if a part of them at 



CXVill 



INTRODUCTION. 



east had been Jews before their conversion, or such as a Jew would better un 
derstand than a Gentile would. Indeed, nothing is more probable than that 
there were Jewish converts in that region. We know that there were many 
Jews in Asia Minor, and from the Acts of the Apostles it is morally certain 
that not a few of them had been converted to the Christian faith under the la- 
bours of Paul. Of the allusions of the kind referred to in the epu tle, the fol- 
lowing may be taken as specimens: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal 
priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people." ch. ii. 9. This is such language 
as was commonly used by the Jews when addressing their own countrymen as 
the people of God, and would seem to imply that to some of those at least to 
whom the epistle was addressed, it was language which would be familiar. 
See also ch. iii. 6. It should be said, however, that these passages are not 
positive proof that any among them were Hebrews. While it is true that 
it is such language as would be naturally employed in addressing those who 
were, and while it supposes an acquaintance among them with the Old Tes- 
tament, it is also true that it is such language as one who had himself been 
educated as an Hebrew would not unnaturally employ when addressing any 
whom he regarded as the people of God. 

3. The passages in the epistle which imply that many of those to whom it 
was addressed had been Gentiles or idolaters, are still more clear. Such pas- 
sages are the following : " As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves ac- 
cording to your former lusts in your ignorance." ch. i. 14. "This," says Dr. 
Lardner, " might be very pertinently said to men converted from Gentilism to 
Christianity ; but no such thing is ever said by the apostles concerning the 
Jewish people who had been favoured with the divine revelation, and had the 
knowledge of the true God." So in ch. ii. 9, Peter speaks of them as " having 
been called out of darkness into marvellous light." The word 'darkness' is one 
which would be naturally applied to those who had been heathens, but would 
not be likely to be applied to those who had had the knowledge of God as re- 
vealed in the Jewish Scriptures. So in ch. ii. 10, it is expressly said of them, 
" which in time past was not a people, but are now the people of God" — lan- 
guage which would not be applied to those who had been Jews. So also ch. 
iv. 3, " For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of 
the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, 
banquetings, and abominable idolatries." Though the apostle here uses the 
word « us? grouping himself with them, yet it cannot be supposed that he means 
to charge himself with these things. It is a mild and gentle way of speech, 
adopted not to give offence, and is such language as a minister of the gospel 
would now use, who felt that he was himself a sinner, in addressing a church 
made up of many individuals. Though it might be true that he had not been 
guilty of the particular offences which he specifies, yet in speaking in the name 
of the church, he would use the term we, and use it honestly and correctly. It 
would be true that the church had been formerly guilty of these things ; and 
this would be a much more mild, proper, and effective method of address, than 
to say you. But the passages adduced here prove conclusively that some oi 
those whom Peter addresses in the epistle had been formerly idolaters, and had 
been addicted to the sins which idolaters are accustomed to commit. 

These considerations make it clear that the epistle was addressed to those 
Christians in general who were scattered throughout the various provinces of 
Asia Minor which are specified in ch. i. 1, whether they had been Jews or Gen- 
tiles. It is probable that the great body of them had been converted from th* 



INTRODUCTION. 



cxu 



neathen, though there were doubtless Jewish converts intermingled with them, 
?nd Peter uses such language as would be natural tor one who had been a Jew 
himself in addressing those whom he now regarded as the chosen of God. 

§ 2. The time and place of writing the Epistle, 
On this point also there has been no little diversity of opinion. The only 
designation of the place where it was written which occurs in the epistle is in 
ch. v. 13 : "The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth 
you." From this it is clear that it was written at Babylon, but still there has 
been no little difference of opinion as to what place is meant here by Babylon. 
Some have supposed that it refers to the well-known place of that name on the 
Euphrates; others to a Babylon situated in Lower Egypt; others to Jerusalem 
or Rome, represented as Babylon. The claims of each of these places it is 
proper to examine. The order in which this is done is not material. 

(1.) The opinion that the * Babylon' mentioned in the epistle refers to a place 
of that name in Egypt, not far from Cairo. This opinion was held by Pearson 
and Le Clerc, and by most of the Coptic interpreters, who have endeavoured 
to vindicate the honour of their own country, Egypt, as a place where one of 
the books of Scripture was composed. See Koppe, Proleg. 12. That there 
was such a place in Egypt, there can be no doubt. It was a small town to the 
north-east of Cairo, where there was a strong castle in the time of Strabo (i. 17, 
p. 807), in which, under Tiberias, there were quartered three Roman legions, 
designed to keep the Egyptians in order. But there is little reason to suppose 
that there were many Jews there, or that a church was early collected there. 
The Jews would have been little likely to resort to a place which was merely 
a Roman garrison, nor would the apostles have been likely to go early to such 
a place to preach the gospel. Comp. Basnage, Ant. 36, num. xxvii. As Lard- 
ner well remarks, if Peter had written an epistle from Egypt, it would have 
been likely to have been from Alexandria. Besides, there is not for the first 
four centuries, any notice of a church at Babylon in Egypt; a fact which can 
hardly be accounted for, if it had been supposed that one of the sacred books had 
been composed there. Lardner, vol. vi. 265. It may be added, also, that as 
there was another place of that name on the Euphrates, a place much better 
known, and which would be naturally supposed to be the one referred to, it 
is probable that if the epistle had been composed at the Babylon in Egypt, there 
would have been something said clearly to distinguish it. If the epistle was 
written at the Babylon on the Euphrates, so well known was that place that no 
one would be likely to understand that the Babylon in Egypt was the place 
referred to; on the other supposition, however, nothing would be more likely 
than that a mistake should occur. 

(2.) Others have supposed that Jerusalem is intended, and that the name was 
given to it on account of its wickedness, and because it resembled Babylon. 
This was the opinion of Capellus, Spanheim, Hardouin, and some others. But 
the objections to this are obvious: (1.) There is no evidence that the name 
Babylon was ever given to Jerusalem, or so given to it as to make it commonly 
understood that that was the place intended when the term was employed. If not 
so, its use would be likely to le<id those to w r hom the epistle was addressed into 
a mistake. (2.) There is every reason to suppose that an apostle in writing a 
letter, if he mentioned the place at all where it was written, would mention the 
real name. So Paul uniformly does. (3.) The name Babylon is not one 
which an apostle would be likely to give to Jerusalem ; certainly not as the 



INTRODUCTION. 



name by which it was to be familiarly known. (4.) If the epistle had been 
written there, there is no conceivable reason why the name of the place should 
not have been mentioned. 

(3.) Others have supposed that Rome is intended by the name Babyion. 
This was the opinion of many of the Fathers, and also of Bede, Valesius, Gro- 
tius, Cave, Whitby, and Lardner. The principal reasons for this are, that such 
is the testimony of Papias, Eusebius and Jerome ; and that at that time Baby- 
lon on the Euphrates was destroyed. See Lardner. But the objections to thia 
opinion seem to me to be insuperable. (1.) There is no evidence that at that 
early period the name Babylon was given to Rome, nor were there any existing 
reasons why it should be. The name is generally supposed to have been ar> 
plied to it by John, in the book of Revelation (ch. xvi. 19; xvii. 5; xviii. 10, 
21), but this was probably long after this epistle was written, and for reasons 
which did not exist in the time of Peter. There is no evidence that it was 
given familiarly to it in the time of Peter, or even at all until after his death. 
Certain it is, that it was not given so familiarly to it that when the name 
Babylon was mentioned it would be generally understood that Rome was in- 
tended. But the only reason which Peter could have had for mentioning the 
name Babylon at all was to convey some definite and certain information to 
those to whom he wrote. (2.) As has been already observed, the apostles 
when they sent an epistle to the churches, and mentioned a place as the one 
where the epistle was written, were accustomed to mention the real place. (3.) 
It would be hardly consistent with the dignity of an apostle, or any grave writer, 
to make use of what would be regarded as a nickname, when suggesting the 
name of the place where he then was. (4.) If Rome had been meant, it would 
have been hardly respectful to the church there which sent the salutation — "The 
church that is at Babylon, elected together with you" — to have given it this 
name. Peter mentions the church with respect and kindness, and yet it 
would have been scarcely regarded as kind to mention it as a « church in 
Babylon? if he used the term Babylon, as he must have done on such a suppo- 
sition, to denote a place of eminent depravity. (5.) The testimony of the Fa- 
thers on this subject does not demonstrate that Rome was the place intended. 
So far as appears from the extracts relied on by Lardner, they do not give this 
as historical testimony, but as their own interpretation, and from any thing that 
appears, we are as well qualified to interpret the word as they were, (6.) In 
regard to the objection that Babylon was at that time destroyed, it may be re- 
marked that this is true so far as the original splendour of the city was con 
cerned, but still there may have been a sufficient population there to have con- 
stituted a church. The destruction of Babylon was gradual. It had not be- 
come an utter desert in the time of the apostles. In the first century of the 
Christian era a part of it was inhabited, though the greater portion of its former 
site was a waste. See Notes on Isa. xiii. 19. Comp. Diod. Sic, ii. 27. All 
that time, there is no improbability in supposing that a Christian church may 
have existed there. It should be added here, however, that on the supposition 
that the word Babylon refers to Rome, rests nearly all the evidence which 
the Roman Catholics can adduce that the apostle Peter was ever at Rome at 
all. There is nothing else in the New Testament that furnishes the slightest 
proof that he ever was there. The only passage on which Bellarmine reiies 
to show that Peter was at Rome, is the very passage now under consideration. 
" That Peter was one time at Rome," he says, " we show first from the testi- 
mony of Peter himself, who thus speaks at the end of his firsi epistle : «The 



INTRODUCTION. 



CXX1 



ctiurch that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you.' " He does 
not pretend to cite any other evidence from Scripture than this ; nor does any 
other writer. 

(4.) There remains the fourth opinion, that the well-known Babylon on the 
Euphrates was the place where the epistle was written. This was the opinion 
of Erasmus, Drusius, Lightfoot, Bengel, Wetstein, Basnage, Beausobre, and 
others. That this is the correct opinion seems to me to be clear from the fol- 
lowing considerations: (a) It is the most natural and obvious interpretation, 
it is that which would occur to the great mass of the readers of the New Tes- 
tament now, and is that which would have been naturally adopted by those to 
whom the epistle was sent. The word Babylon, without something to give it 
a different application, would have been understood anywhere to denote the 
well-known place on the Euphrates, (b) There is, as has been observed already, 
no improbability that there was a Christian church there, but there are several 
circumstances which render it probable that this would be the case: (1.) Baby. 
Ion had been an important place, and its history was such, and its relation to 
the Jews such, as to make it probable that the attention of the apostles would 
be turned to it. (2.) The apostles, according to all the traditions which we 
have respecting them, travelled extensively in the East, and nothing would be 
more natural than that they should visit Babylon. (3.) There were many Jews 
of the captivity remaining in that region, and it would be in the highest degree 
probable that they would seek to carry the gospel to their own countrymen 
there. See Koppe, Proieg., pp. 16 — 18. Jos. Ant., B. xv., ch. ii., § 2; ch. iii., 
§ 1. Philo. De Virtut., p. 587. 

These considerations make it clear that the place where the epistle was writ- 
ten was Babylon on the Euphrates, the place so celebrated in ancient sacred 
and profane history. If this be the correct view, then this is a fact of much 
interest, &s showing that even in apostolic times there was a true church in a 
place once so distinguished for splendour and wickedness, and so memorable for 
its acts in oppressing the ancient people of God. Our information respecting 
this church, however, ceases here. We know not by whom it was founded ; 
we know not who were its pastors, nor do we know how long it survived. As 
Babylon, however, continued rapidly to decline, so that in the second century 
nothing remained but the walls (comp. Notes on Isa. xiii. 19), there is no rea- 
son to suppose that the church long existed there. Soon the ancient city be- 
came a heap of ruins, and excepting that now and then a Christian traveller or 
missionary has visited it, it is not known that a prayer has been offered there 
from generation to generation, or that amidst the desolations there has been a 
single worshipper of the true God. See this subject examined at length in 
Bacon's Lives of the Apostles, pp. 258 — 263. 

In regard to the time when this first epistle was written, nothing certainly 
can be determined. There are no marks of time in the epistle itself, and there 
are no certain data from which we can determine when it was composed. 
Lardner supposes that it was in the year 63, or 64, or at the latest, 65 ; Mi 
chaelis, that it was about the year 60. If it was written at Babylon, it was 
probably some time between the year 58 and 61. The time is not material, 
and it is impossible now to determine it. 

§ 3. The characteristics of the First Epistle of Peter. 
(1.) The epistles of Peter are distinguished for great tenderness of mannei, 
and for bringing forward prominently the most consolatory parts of the gospel. 
11 



cxxii 



INTRODUCTION. 



He wrote to those who were in affliction ; he was himselr an old man (2 PeL 
i. 14); he expected soon to be with his Saviour; he had nearly done with the 
conflicts and toils of life ; and it was natural that he should direct his eye on 
ward, and should dwell on those things in the gospel which were adapted to 
support and comfort the soul. There is, therefore, scarcely any part of the 
New Testament where the ripe and mellow Christian will find more that is 
adapted to his matured feelings, or to which he will more naturally turn. 

(2.) There is great compactness and terseness of thought in his epistles. 
They seem to be composed of a succession of texts, each one fitted to constitute 
the subject of a discourse. There is more that a pastor would like to preach on 
in a course of expository lectures, and less that he would be disposed to pass 
over as not so well adapted to the purposes of public instruction, than in almost 
any other part of the New Testament. There is almost nothing that is local 
or of temporary interest ; there are no discussions about points pertaining to 
Jewish customs such as we meet with in Paul; there is little that pertains par- 
ticularly to one age of the world or country. Almost all that he has written is 
of universal applicability to Christians, *and may be read with as much interest 
and profit now by us as by the people to whom his epistles were addressed. 

(3.) There is evidence in the epistles of Peter that the author was well ac 
quainted with the writings of the apostle Paul. See this point illustrated at 
length in Eichhorn, Einleitung in das Neue Tes. viii. 606 — 618, § 284, and 
Michaelis, Intro., vol. iv. p. 323, seq. Peter himself speaks of his acquaintance 
with the epistles of Paul, and ranks them with the inspired writings. 2 Pet. 
iii. 15, 16. "Even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom 
given unto him, hath written unto you ; as also in all his epistles, speaking in 
them of these things ; in which are some things hard to be understood, which 
they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, 
unto their own destruction." Indeed, to any one who will attentively compare 
the epistles of Peter with those of Paul, it will be apparent that he was ac* 
quainted with the writings of the apostle of the Gentiles, and had become so 
familiar with the modes of expression which he employed that he naturally fell 
into it. There is that kind of coincidence which would be expected when one 
Was accustomed to read what another had written, and when he had great re- 
spect for him, but not that when there was a purpose to borrow or copy from 
him. This will be apparent by a reference to a few parallel passages. 

PAUL. PETER. 

Eph. i. 3. Blessed be the God and 1 Pet. i. 3. Blessed be the God and 

Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. See Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
also 2 Cor. i. 3. 

Col. iii. 8. But now ye also put off 1 Pet. ii. 1. Wherefore laying aside 

all these ; anger, wrath, malice, bias- all malice, and all guile, and hypocri- 

phemy, filthy communication out of sies, and envies, and all evil speak- 

your mouth. ings. 

Eph. v. 22. Wives, submit your- 1 Pet. iji. 1. Likewise ye wives, be 

selves to your own husbands as unto in subjection to your own husbands, 
the Lord. 

Eph. v. 2 J. Submitting yourselves 1 Pet. v. 5. Yea, all of you be sub- 
one to another in the fear of God. ject one to another. 

1 Thess. v, 6. Let us watch and be 1 Pet. v. 8. Be sober: be vigilant, 

sober. [In the Greek the same words, though 

the order is reversed.] 



INTRODUCTION. 



CXX111 



1 Cor. xvi. 20. Greet ye one an- 
other with an holy kiss. 2 Cor. xiii. 12. 
Rom. xvi. 16. 1 Thess. v. 26. 

Rom. viii. 18. The glory that shall 
he revealed unto us. 

Rom. iv. 24. If we believe on him 
that raised up Jesus our Lord from the 
dead. 

Rom. xiii. 1, 3, 4. Let every soul 
be subject unto the higher powers. 
For there is no power but of God ; the 
powers that be are ordained of God. . . 
Do that which is good, and thou shalt 
have praise of the same. . . For he is a 
minister of God, a revenger to execute 
wrath upon him that doeth evil. See 
also the following passages : 

Rom. xii. 6, 7. 

I Tim. ii. 9. 

1 Tim. v. 5. 



1 Pet. v. 14. Greet ye one anothei 
with a kiss of love fytiwymrti 

1 Pet. v. 1. The glory that shall be 
revealed. 

1 Pet. i. 21. Who by him do be- 
lieve in God, that raised him up from 
the dead. 

1 Pet. ii. 13, 14. Submit yourselves 
to every ordinance of man for the 
Lord's sake ; whether it be to the 
king, as supreme; or unto governors, 
as unto them that are sent by him for 
the punishment of evil doers, and for 
the praise of them that do well. 



1 Pet. iv. 10. 
1 Pet. iii. 3. 
1 Pet. iii. 5. 



These coincidences are not such as would occur between two authors wnes» 
one had no acquaintance with the writings of the other, and they thus demon- 
strate, what may be implied, in 2 Pet. iii. 15, that Peter was familiar with the 
epistles of Paul. This also would seem to imply that the epistles of Paul 
were in general circulation. 

(4.) " In the structure of his periods," says Michaelis, " St. Peter has this 
peculiarity, that he is fond of beginning a sentence in such a manner that it 
shall refer to a principal word in the preceding. The consequence of this struc- 
ture is, that the sentences, instead of being rounded, according to the manner 
of the Greeks, are drawn out to a great length ; and in many places where we 
should expect that a sentence would be closed, a new clause is attached, and 
another again to this, so that before the whole period comes to an end, it con- 
tains parts which, at the commencement of the period, do not appear to have 
been designed for it." This manner of writing is also found often in the epis- 
tles of Paul.* 

The canonical authority of this epistle has never been disputed. For a view 
at the contents of it, see the analyses prefixed to the several chapters. 



THE FIRST 



EPISTLE GENERAL OF PET Eli. 



PETER, an apostle of Jesus 
Christ, to the strangers scat- 

a Ac. 8. 4. 



CHAPTER I. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This epistle was evidently addressed 
to those who were passing through se- 
vere trials, and probably to those who 
were, at that time, enduring persecu- 
tion, ch. i. 6,7; iii. 14; vi. 1, 12—19. 
The main object of this chapter is to 
comfort them in their trials ; to suggest 
such considerations as would enable 
them to bear them with the right spirit, 
and to show the sustaining, elevating, 
and purifying power of the gospel. In 
doing this, the apostle adverts to the 
following considerations : 

1. He reminds them that they were 
the elect of God ; that they had been 
chosen according to his foreknowledge, 
by the sanctifying agency of the Holy 
Ghost, and in order that they might be 
obedient, vs. 1, 2. 

2. He reminds them of the lively 
hope to which they had been begotten, 
and of the inheritance that was reserved 
for them in heaven. That inheritance 
was incorruptible, and undented, and 
glorious ; it would be certainly theirs, 
tor they would be kept by the power 
of God unto it, though now they were 
subjected to severe trials, vs. 3 — 6. 

3. Even now they could rejoice in 
hope of that inheritance (ver. 6) ; their 
trial was of great importance to them- 
selves in order to test the genuineness 
of their piety (ver. ?) ; and in the 
midst of all their sufferings they could 



tered a throughout Pontus, Gala- 
tia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bi- 
thynia, 

rejoice in the love of their unseen 
Saviour (ver. 8) ; and they would cer- 
tainly obtain the great object for which 
they had believed — the salvation of 
their souls, ver. 9. By these considera- 
tions the apostle would reconcile them 
to their sufferings; for they would thus 
show the genuineness and value of 
Christian piety, and would be admitted 
at last to higher honour. 

4. The apostle proceeds, in order 
further to reconcile them to their suffer- 
ings, to say that the nature of the sal- 
vation which they would receive had 
been an object of earnest inquiry by the 
prophets. They had searched diligently 
to know precisely what the spirit by 
which they were inspired meant by the 
revelations given to them, and they 
had understood that they ministered to 
the welfare of those who should come 
after them. vs. 10 — 12. Those who 
thus suffered ought, therefore, to rejoice 
in a salvation which had been revealed 
to them in this manner; and in the 
fact that they had knowledge which 
had not been vouchsafed even to the 
prophets; and under these circum- 
stances they ought to be willing to 
bear the trials which had ceen brought 
upon them by a religion do communi- 
cated to them. 

5. In view of these things, the apos- 
tle (vs. 13 — 17) exhorts them to be 
faithful and persevering to the end. In 
anticipation of what was to be revealed 
to them at the final day, they should 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER 1. 



125 



be sober and obedient ; and as he who 
had called them into his kingdom was 
holy, so it became them to be holy also. 

6. This consideration is enforced 
(vs. 18 — 21) by a reference to the price 
that was paid for their redemption. 
They should remember that they had 
been redeemed, not with silver and 
gold, but with the precious blood of 
Christ. He had been appointed from 
eternity to be their Redeemer ; he had 
been manifested in those times for them ; 
he had been raised from the dead for 
them, and their faith and hope were 
through him. For these reasons they 
ought to be steadfast in their attach- 
ment to him. 

7. The apostle enjoins on them the 
especial duty of brotherly love. vs. 22, 
23. They had purified their hearts by 
obeying the truth, and as they were all 
one family, they should love one an- 
other fervently. Thus they would show 
to their enemies and persecutors the 
transforming nature of their religion, 
and furnish an impressive proof of its 
reality. 

8. To confirm all these views, the 
apostle reminds them that all flesh.must 
soon die. The glory of man would 
fade away. Nothing would abide but 
the word of the Lord. They themselves 
would soon die, and be released from 
their troubles, and they should be will- 
ing, therefore, to bear trials for a little 
time. The great and the rich, and 
those apparently more favoured in this 
life, would soon disappear, and all the 
splendour of their condition would van- 
ish ; and they should not envy them, 
or repine at their own more humble 
and painful lot. vs. 24, 25. The keen- 
est sufferings here are brief, and the 
highest honours and splendours of life 
here soon vanish away, and our main 
solicitude should be for the eternal in- 
heritance. Having the prospect of that, 
and building on the sure word of God, 
which abides for ever, we need not 
Ehrink from the trials appointed to us 
nere below. 

11 * 



1. Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ 
On the word apostle, see Notes on 
Rom. i. 1. 1 Cor. ix. 1, seq. IT To the 
strangers. In the Greek, the word 
4 elect' (see ver. 2) occurs here : ixhsx- 
toi$ 7tap£7tidyiiA,OL$, 'to the elect strangers.' 
He here addresses them as elect ; in the 
following verse he shows them in what 
way they were elected. See the Notes 
there. The word rendered strangers 
occurs only in three places in the New 
Testament; Heb. xi. 13, and 1 Pel. ii. 
11, where it is rendered pilgrims, and 
in the place before us. See Notes on 
Heb. xi. 13. The word means literally 
a by-resident, a sojourner among a 
people not one's own. — Robinson. 
There has been much diversity of opi- 
nion as to the persons here referred to, 
some supposing that the epistle was 
written to those who had been Jews, 
who were now converted, and who 
were known by the common appellation 
among their countrymen as * the scat- 
tered abroad,' or the 1 dispersion ;' that 
is, those who were strangers or sojourn- 
ers away from their native land ; others, 
that the reference is to those who were 
called, among the Jews, < proselytes of 
the gate,' or those who were admitted 
to certain external privileges among the 
Jews (see Notes on Matt, xxiii. 15) ; 
and others, that the allusion is to Chris- 
tians as such, without reference to their 
origin, and who are spoken of as 
strangers and pilgrims. That the apos- 
tle did not write merely to those who 
had been Jews, is clear from ch. iv. 3, 
4 (comp. Intro., § 1) ; and it seems 
probable that he means here Christians 
as such, without reference to their ori- 
gin, who were scattered through the 
various provinces of Asia Minor. Yet 
it seems also probable that he did not 
use the term as denoting that they 
were ■ strangers and pilgrims on the 
earth,' or with reference to the fact that 
the earth was not their home, as the 
word is used in Heb. xi. 13, but that 
he used the term as a Jew would natu- 
rally use it, accustomed, as he was, to 



126 



2 Elect according to the fore- 

aEp. 1. 4. 



I. PETER. [A. D. 60 

knowledge 6 of God the Father^ 

bRo. 8. 29. 



employ it as denoting his own country- 
men dwelling in distant lands. He 
would regard them still as the people 
of God, though dispersed abroad ; as 
those who were away from what was 
properly the home of their fathers. So 
Peter addresses these Christians as the 
people of God, now scattered abroad; 
as similar in their condition to the Jews 
who had been dispersed among the 
Gentiles. Comp. the Intro., § 1. It 
is not necessarily implied that these 
persons were strangers to Peter, or that 
he had never seen them ; though this 
was not improbably the fact in regard 
to most of them. IT Scattered. Gr., 
Of the dispersion (6t«,tfrtopa$) ; a term 
which a Jew would be likely to use 
who spoke of his countrymen dwelling 
among the heathen. See Notes on 
John vii, 35, and James i. 1, where the 
same Greek word is found. It does 
not elsewhere occur in the New Testa- 
ment. Here, however, it is applied to 
Christians as dispersed or scattered 
abroad. IT Throughout Pontus, &c. 
These were provinces of Asia Minor. 
Their position may be seen in the map 
prefixed to the Acts of the A/.. -stJes 
On the situation of Pontus, see A- 'f> 
on Acts ii. 9. IT G alalia. On me 
situation of this province, and its his- 
tory, see Intro, to the Notes on Gala- 
tians, § 1. IT Cappadocia. See Notes, 
Acts ii. 9. IT Asia. Meaning a pro- 
vince of Asia Minor, of which Ephesus 
was the capital. Notes, Acts ii. 9. 
IT And Bithynia. See Notes on Acts 
xvi. 7. 

2. Elect. That is, chosen. The 
meaning here is that they were in fact 
chosen. The word does not refer to 
the purpose to choose, but to the fact 
that they were chosen or selected by 
God as his people. It is a word com- 
monly applied to the people of God as 
being chosen out of the world, and 
called to be his. The use of the word 



does not determine whether God had a 
previous eternal purpose to choose therr 
or not. That must be determined by 
something else than the mere use of 
the term. This word has reference t( 
the act of selecting them, without throw- 
ing any light on the question why \\ 
was done. See Matt. xxiv. 22, 24, 31 
Mark xiii. 20. Luke xviii. 7. Rom 
viii. 33. Col. iii. 12. Comp. Notes on 
John xv. 16. The meaning is, tha\ 
God had, on some account, a preference 
for them above others as his people, 
and had chosen them from the midst 
of others to be heirs of salvation. The 
word should be properly understood as 
applied to the act of choosing them, not 
to the purpose to choose them ; the 
fact of his selecting them to be his, 
not the doctrine that he would choose 
them ; and is a word, therefore, which 
should be freely and gratefully used by 
all Christians, for it is a word in fre- 
quent use in the Bible, and there is 
nothing for which men should be more 
grateful than the fact that God has 
chosen them to salvation. Elsewhere 
we learn that the purpose to choose 
them was eternal, and that the reason 
of it was his own good pleasure. See 
Notes on Eph. i. 4, 5. We are here 
also informed that it was in accordance 
with " the foreknowledge of God the 
Father." < fT According to the fore- 
knowledge of God the Father, The 
Father is regarded, in the Scriptures, 
as the Author of the plan of salvation, 
and as having chosen his people to life, 
and given them to his Son to redeem 
and save. John vi. 37, 65 ; xvii. 2, 6, 
11. It is affirmed here that the fact 
that they were elect was in some sense 
in accordance with the 1 foreknowledge 
of God.' On the meaning of the phrase, 
see Notes on Rom. viii. 29. The pas- 
sage does not affirm that the thing 
which God < foreknew/ and which was 
the reason of their being chosen, was 



A. D. 60.] 



through sanctification" of the 

a 2 Th. 2. 13. 

that they would of themselves be dis- 
posed to embrace the offer of salvation. 
The foreknowledge referred to might 
have been of many other thirx^ as 
constituting the reason which operated 
in the case; and it is not proper to 
assutne that it could have been of this 
alone. It may mean that God fore- 
knew all the events which would ever 
occur, and that he saw reasons why 
they should be selected rather than 
others; or that he foreknew all that 
could be made to bear on their salva- 
tion ; or that he foreknew all that he 
would himself do to secure their salva- 
tion ; or that he foreknew them as hav- 
ing been designated by his own eternal 
counsels ; or that he foreknew all that 
could be accomplished by their instru- 
mentality ; or that he saw that they 
would believe ; but it should not be 
assumed that the word means necessa- 
rily any one of these things. The 
simple fact here affirmed, which no one 
can deny, is, that there was foreknow- 
ledge in the case on the part of God. 
It was not the result of ignorance or 
of blind chance that they were selected. 
But if foreknown, must it not be cer- 
tain P How could a thing which is 
foreknown be contingent or doubtful] 
The essential idea here is, that the ori- 
ginal choice was on the part of God, 
fttid not on their part, and that this 
choice was founded on what he before 
knew to be best. He undoubtedly saw 
good and sufficient reasons why the 
choice should fall on them. I do not 
know that the reasons why he did it 
are revealed, or that they could be 
fully comprehended by us if they were. 
I am quite certain that it is not stated 
that it is because they would be more 
disposed of themselves to embrace the 
Saviour than others ; for the Scriptures 
abundantly teach, what every regene- 
rated person feels to be true, that the 
<act that we are disposed to embrace 



CHAPTER I. 
Spirit, 



unto* obedience 

bRo. 16. 26. 



127 
and 



the Saviour is to be traced to a divine 
influence on our hearts, and not to our- 
selves. See John vi. 65. Rom. ix. 16. 
Titus iii. 5. Ps. ex. 2, 3. IT Through 
sanctification of the Spirit. The Holy 
Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. 
The Greek is, * by sanctification 
of the Spirit ;' that is, it was by this 
influence or agency. The election that 
was purposed by the Father was car- 
ried into effect by the agency of the 
Spirit in making them holy. The 
word rendered sanctification (aywtcf^oj), 
is not used here in its usual and tech- 
nical sense to denote the progressive 
holiness of believers, but in its more 
primitive and usual sense of holiness. 
Comp. Notes, 1 Cor. i. 30. It means 
here the being made holy ; and the 
idea is, that we become in fact the 
chosen or elect of God by a work of 
the spirit on our hearts making us holy , 
that is, renewing us in the divine im- 
age. We are chosen by the Father, 
but it is necessary that the heart should 
be renewed and made holy by a work 
of grace, in order that we may actually 
become his chosen people. Though we 
are sinners, he proposes to save us; but 
we are not saved in our sins, nor can 
we regard ourselves as the children of 
God until we have evidence that we 
are born again. The purpose of God 
to save us found us unholy, and we 
become in fact his friends by being re- 
newed in the temper of our mind. A 
man has reason to think that he is one 
of the elect of God just so far as he has 
evidence that he has been renewed by 
the Holy Spirit, and so far as he has 
holiness of heart and life, and no far- 
ther. IT Unto obedience and sprink- 
ling of the blood of Jesus Christ. This 
expresses the design for which they 
had been chosen by the Father, and 
renewed by the Spirit. It was that 
they might obey God, and lead holy 
lives. On the phrase 1 unto obedience,' 



128 



L PETER. 



[A. D. GO. 



sprinkling a of the blood of Jesus 
Christ ; Grace unto you, and 
peace, be multiplied/ 

3 Blessed he the God and 

a He. 12. 24. b Jude 2. c 2 Co. 1. 3. 



see Notes on Rom. i. 5. The phrase 
«unto sprinkling of the biood of Jesus 
Christ/ means to cleansing from sin, 
or to holiness, since it was by the 
sprinkling of that blood that they were 
to be made holy. See it explained in 
the Notes on Heb. ix. 18—23 ; xii. 24. 
IT Grace unto you, and peace, he mul- 
ti-plied. Notes, Rom. i. 7. The phrase 
• be multiplied' means, < may it abound,' 
or < may it be conferred abundantly on 
you.' From this verse we may learn 
that they who are chosen should be 
holy. Just in proportion as they have 
evidence that God has chosen them at 
all, they have evidence that he has 
chosen them to be holy ; and in fact, 
all the evidence which any man can 
have that he is among the elect is, that 
he h practically a holy man, and de- 
sires to become more and more so. No 
man can penetrate the secret counsels 
of the Almighty. No one can go up 
to heaven and inspect the book of life 
to see if his name be there. No one 
should 'presume that his name is there 
without evidence. No one should de- 
pend on dreams, or raptures, or visions, 
as proof that his name is there. No 
one should expect a new revelation de- 
claring to him that he is among the 
elect. All the proof which any man 
can have that he is among the chosen 
of God is to be found in the evidences 
of personal piety ; and any man who 
is willing to be a true Christian may 
have all that evidence in his own case. 
If any one, then, wishes to settle the 
question whether he is among the elect 
or not, the way is plain. Let him be- 
come a true Christian, and the whole 
matter is determined, for that is all the 
proof which any one has that he is 
chosen to salvation. Till a man is 



Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
which according to his 1 abundant 
d mercy hath begotten us , again 4 
unto a lively hope by the resur- 

1 much. , d Ep. 2. 4. e Jno. 3. 3, 5 

wilhmg to do that, he should not com- 
plain of the doctrine of election. If he 
is not willing to become a Christian 
and to be saved, assuredly he should 
not complain that those who are think 
that they have evidence that they are 
the chosen of God. 

3. Blessed be the God and Father 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. See Notes 
on 2 Cor. i. 3. f Which according to 
his abundant mercy. Marg., as in the 
Greek, much. The idea is, that there 
was great mercy shown them in the 
fact that they were renewed. They 
had no claim to the favour, and tht 
favour was great. Men are not begot 
ten to the hope of heaven because thej 
have any claim on God, or because i» 
would not be right for him to withhold 
the favour. See Notes on Eph. ii. 4. 
Tl Hath begotten us again. The mean- 
ing is, that as God is the Author of our 
life in a natural sense, so he is the 
Author of our second life by regenera- 
tion. The Saviour said (John iii. 3), 
that " Except a man be born again,'* 
or begotten again (ysiwfejj aw^cv), 
« he cannot see the kingdom of God." 
Peter here affirms that that change had 
occurred in regard to himself and those 
whom he was addressing. The word 
used here as a compound (jdvtvyevvdu)) 
does nofr elsewhere occur in the New 
Testament, though it corresponds en- 
tirely with the words used by the Sa- 
viour in John iii. 3, 5, 7. Perhaps the 
phrase < begotten again' would be better 
in each instance where the word occurs, 
the sense being rather that of being 
begotten again, than of being born 
again. 1F Unto a lively hope. The 
word lively we now use commonly in 
the sense of active, animated, quick ; 
the word here used, however, means 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER L 



129 



fection of Jesus Christ from the 
dead, 

a 1 Co. 15. 20. 

living, in contradistinction from that 
which is dead. The hope which they 
had had living power. It was not cold, 
inoperative, dead. It was not a mere 
form ; or a mere speculation ; or a mere 
sentiment ? it was that which was vital 
to their welfare, and which was active 
and powerful. On the nature of hope, 
see Notes on Rom. viii. 24. Comp. 
Eph. ii. 12. ^ By the resurrection of 
Jesus Christ from the dead. - The 
resurrection of the Lord Jesus is the 
foundation of our hope. It was a con- 
firmation of what he declared as truth 
when he lived ; it was a proof of the 
doctrine of the immortality of the soul ; 
it was a pledge that all who are united 
to him will be raised up. See Notes 
on 1 Cor. xv. 1 — 20. 2 Tim. i. 10. 
1 Thess. iv. 14. On this verse we 
may remark, that the fact that Chris- 
tians are chosen to salvation should 
be a subject of gratitude and praise. 
Every man should rejoice that any of 
the race may be saved, and the world 
should be thankful for every new in- 
stance of divine favour in granting to 
any one a hope of eternal life. Espe- 
cially should this be a source of joy to 
true Christians. Well do they know 
that if God had not chosen them to 
salvation, they would have remained 
as thoughtless as others; if he had had 
no purpose of rxirrey towards them, they 
would never have been saved. As- 
suredly if there is any thing for which 
a man should be grateful, it is that God 
has so loved him as to give him the 
hope of eternal life ; and if he has had 
an eternal purpose to do this, our gra- 
titude should b8 proportionally in- 
creased. 

4. To an inheritance. Through 
the resurrection of the Lord Jesus we 
now cherish the hope of that future 
inheritance in heaven. On the word 
hiheritance, see Notes on Acts xx. 32. 



4 To an inheritance^ incor- 
ruptible, and undefiled, and that 

&He. 9. 15. 

Eph. i. 11, 14, 18. Col. i. 12. Chris- 
tians are regarded as the adopted chil- 
dren of God, and heaven is spoken of 
as their inheritance — as what their Fa- 
ther will bestow on them as the proof 
of his love. ^Incorruptible. It will not 
fade away and vanish, as that which 
we inherit in this world does. See the 
word explained in the Notes on 1 Cor. 
ix. 25. The meaning here is, that the 
inheritance will be imperishable,' or 
will endure for ever. Here, to what- 
ever we may be heirs, we must soon 
part with the inheritance ; there it will 
be eternal, f And undefiled. See 
Notes, Heb. vii. 26 ; xiii. 4. James i. 
27. The word does not elsewhere oc- 
cur in the New Testament. As applied 
to an inheritance, it means that it will 
be pure. It will not have been ob- 
tained by dishonesty, nor will it be held 
by fraud ; it will not be such as will 
corrupt the soul, or tempt to extrava- 
gance, sensuality, and lust, as a rich 
inheritance often does here ; it will be 
such that its eternal enjoyment will 
never tend in any manner to defile the 
heart. " How many estates," says 
Benson, "have been got by fraudulent 
and unjust methods ; by poisoning, or 
in some other way murdering the right 
heir ; by cheating of helpless orphans ; 
by ruining the fatherless and widows ; 
by oppressing their neighbours, or grind- 
ing the faces of the poor, and taking 
their garments or vineyards from them ! 
But this future inheritance of the saints 
is stained by none of these vices ; 'tis 
neither got nor detained by any of these 
methods; nor shall persons polluted 
with vice have any share in it." Here 
no one can be heir to an inheritance 
of gold or houses without danger of 
soon sinking into indolence, effeminacy, 
or vice ; there the inheritance may by 
enjoyed for ever, and the soul conti- 
nually advance in knowledge, holiness, 



!30 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 60 



fadeth" net away, reserved* in 
heaven for 'you, 

ac. 5. 4. 6 Col. 1. 5. 1 or, us. 

and the active service of God. IT And 
that fadeth not away. Gr. a^dpavtov. 
This word occurs nowhere else in the 
New Testament, though the word 
afiapdvtivos (amarantine), occurs in 
ch. v. 4, applied to a crown or garland. 
The word is properly applied to that 
which does not fade or wither, in con- 
tradistinction from a flower that fades. 
It may then denote any thing that is 
enduring, and is applied to the future 
inheritance of the saints to describe its 
perpetuity in all its brilliance and 
spktidour, in contrast with the fading 
nature of all that is earthly. The idea 
here, therefore, is not precisely the 
same as is expressed by the word « in- 
corruptible/ Both words indeed de- 
note perpetuity, but that refers to per- 
petuity in contrast with decay ; this 
denotes perpetuity in the sense that 
every thing there will be kept in its 
original brightness and beauty. The 
crown of glory, though worn for mil- 
lions of ages, will not be dimmed ; the 
golden streets will lose none of their 
lustre ; the flowers that bloom on the 
banks of the river of life will always be 
as rich in colour, and as fragrant, as 
when we first behold them. ^Reserved 
in heaven for you. Marg. us. The 
difference in the text and the margin 
arises from the various readings in 
MSS. The common reading is 4 for 
you? The sense is not materially af- 
fected. The idea is, that it is an in- 
heritance appointed for us, and kept by 
one who can make it sure to us, and 
who will certainly bestow it upon us. 
Comp. Notes on Matt. xxv. 34. John 
xiv. 2. Col. i. 5. 

5. Who are kept by the power of God. 
That is, «kept' or preserved in the faith 
and hope of the gospel ; who are pre- 
served from apostacy ; or so kept that 
you will finally obtain salvation. The 
word which is here used and rendered 



5 Who are kept c by the powei 
of God through faith"* unto saiva- 

cJudel. 24. dEp. 2. 8. 



kept ($pot>pao — phroureo), is rendered 
in 2 Cor. xi. 32, kept with a garrison ; 
in Gal. iii. 23, and here, kept ; in Phil, 
iv. 7, shall keep. It does not elsewhere 
occur in the New Testament. It means 
to keep as in a garrison or fortress ; or 
as with a military watch. The idea 
is, that there was a faithful guardian- 
ship exercised over them to save them 
from danger, as a castle or garrison is 
watched to guard it against the ap- 
proach of an enemy. The meaning is 
that they were weak in themselves, and 
were surrounded by temptations; and 
that the only reason why they were 
preserved was, that God exerted his 
power to keep them. The only reason 
which any Christians have to suppose 
they will ever reach heaven is the fact 
that God keeps them by his own power. 
Comp. Notes, Phil. i. 6. 2 Tim. i. 12; 
iv. 18. If it were left to the will of 
man ; to the strength of his own resolu- 
tions; to his power to meet temptations, 
and to any probability that he would 
of himself continue to walk in the path 
to life, there would be no certainty that 
any one would be saved. % Through 
faith. That is, he does not keep us 
by the mere exertion of power, but he 
excites faith in our hearts, and makes 
that the means of keeping us. As long 
as we have faith in God, and in his 
promises, we are safe. When that 
fails, we are weak ; and if it should fail 
altogether, we could not be saved. 
Comp. Notes, Eph. ii. 8. IT Unto sal- 
vation. Not preserved for a little pe- 
riod, and then suffered to fall away, 
but so kept as to be saved. We may 
remark here that Peter, as well as Paul, 
believed in the doctrine of the perse- 
verance of the saints. If he did not, 
how could he have addressed these 
Christians in this manner, and said 
that they were « kept by the power of 
God unto salvation What evidence 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER L 



131 



tion, ready to be revealed in the 
last time. 



could he have had that they would 
obtain salvation unless he believed in 
the general truth that it was the pur- 
pose of God to keep all who were truly 
converted 1 % Ready to be revealed 
in the last time. That is, when the 
world shall close. Then it shall be 
made manifest to assembled worlds 
that such an inheritance was « reserved' 
for you, and that you were < kept' in 
order to inherit it. Comp. Matt. xxv. 
34. This verse, then, teaches that the 
doctrine that the saints will persevere 
and be saved, is true. They are < kept 
by the power of God to salvation,' and 
as God has all power, and guards them 
with reference to this end, it cannot be 
but that they will be saved. It may 
be added, (a) that it is very desirable 
that the doctrine should be true. Man 
is so weak and feeble, so liable to fall, 
and so exposed to temptation, that it is 
in itself every way a thing to be wished 
that his salvation should be in some 
safer hands than his own. (6) If it is 
desirable that it should be true, it is 
fair to infer that it is true, for God has 
made all the arrangements for the sal- 
vation of his people which are really 
desirable and proper, (c) The only 
security for the salvation of any one is 
founded on that doctrine. If it were 
left entirely to the hands of men, even 
the best of men, what assurance could 
there be that any one would be saved ? 
Di4 not Adam fall 1 Did not holy 
angels fail ] Have not some of the 
best of men fallen into sin ! And who 
has such a strength of holiness that he 
could certainly confide in it to make 
his own salvation sure 1 Any man 
•must know little of himself and of the 
human heart who supposes that he has 
such a strength of virtue that he would 
never fall away if left to himself. But 
if this be so, then his only hope of sal- 
ration is in the fact that God intends 



6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, 
though now for a season, if need 



to « keep his people by his own power 
through faith unto salvation/ 

6. Wherein ye greatly rejoice. In 
which hope of salvation. The idea is, 
that the prospect which they had of 
the future inheritance was to them a 
source of the highest joy, even in the 
midst of their many sufferings and 
trials. On the general grounds for re- 
joicing, see Notes, Rom. v. 1, 2. Phil, 
iii. 1 ; iv. 4. 1 Thess. v. 16. See also 
the Notes on ver. 8 of this chapter. 
The particular meaning here is, that 
the hope which they had of their future 
inheritance enabled them to rejoice 
even in the midst of persecutions and 
trials. It not only sustained them, 
but it made them happy. That must 
be a valuable religion which will make 
men happy in the midst of persecu- 
tions and heavy calamities. % Though 
now for a season. A short period— r- 
oJayoj/. It would be in fact only for a 
brief period, even if it should continue 
through the whole of life. Comp. 
Notes, 2 Cor. iv. 17- <• Our light af- 
fliction, which is but for a moment" 
It is possible, however, that Peter sup- 
posed that the trials which they then 
experienced would soon pass over. 
They may have been suffering perse- 
cutions which he hoped would not long 
continue. IT If need be. This phrase 
seems to have been thrown in here to 
intimate that there was a necessity for 
their afflictions, or that there was < need' 
that they should pass through these 
trials. There was soon good to be ac- 
complished by them, which made it 
desirable and proper that they should 
be thus afflicted. The sense is, ■ since 
there is need ;' though the apostle ex- 
presses it more delicately by suggesting 
the possibility that there might be need 
of it, instead of saying absolutely that 
there was need. It is the kind of lan- 
guage which we would use in respect 



132 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 60. 



a he, ye are in heaviness through 
manifold temptations: 

7 That the trial b of your faith, 
being much more precious than 
of gold that perisheth, though it 



to one who was greatly afflicted, by 
suggesting to him in the most tender 
manner that there might be things in 
his character which God designed to 
correct by trials, instead of saying 
roughly and bluntly that such was un- 
doubtedly the fact. We would not say 
to such a person, 4 you certainly needed 
this affliction to lead you to amend 
your life but, * it may be that there 
is something in your character which 
makes it desirable, or that God intends 
that some good results shall come from 
it which will show that it is wisely or- 
dered.' IT Ye are in heaviness. Gr. 
Ye are sorrowing' (\vftvj$evtE$) ; you 
are sad, or grieved. Matt. xiv. 9 ; xvii. 
23. IT Through manifold temptations. 
Through many kinds of trials, for so 
the word rendered temptation (rtft-pa^- 
jioj) means. James i. 2, 12. Notes, 
Matt. iv. 1 • vi. 13. The meaning 
here is, that they now endured many 
things which were fitted to try or test 
their faith. These might have con- 
sisted of poverty, persecution, sickness, 
or the efforts of others to lead them to 
renounce their religion, and to go back 
to their former state of unbelief. Any 
one or all of these would try them, and 
would show whether their religion was 
genuine. On the various ways which 
God has of trying his people, comp. 
Notes on Isa. xxviii. 23—29. 

7. That the trial of your faith. The 
putting of your religion to the test, and 
showing what is its real nature. Comp. 
James i. 3, 12. "ft Being much more 
■precious than of gold. This does not 
mean that their faith was much more 
precious than gold, but that the testing 
of it (Soxlfiov), the process of showing 
whether it was or was not genuine, 
was a much more important and valu- 



be tried with c (ire, might be 
found unto praise and d honour 
and glory at the appearing 6 of 
Jesus Christ : 

a He. 12. 7-11. b Ja. 1. 3, 12 

el Co. 3. 13. dRo. 2. 7, 10. eRe. 1. 7. 

able process than that of testing gold 
in the fire. More important results 
were to be arrived at by it, and it was 
more desirable that it should be done* 
IT That perisheth. Not that gold pe. 
rishes by the process of being tried in 
the fire, for this is not the fact, and the 
connection does not demand this inter- 
pretation. The idea is, that gold, how* 
ever valuable it is, is a perishable thing 
It is not an enduring, imperishable, in- 
destructible thing, like religion. It 
may not perish in the fire, but it will 
in some way, for it will not endure for 
ever. Though it be tried with fire. 
This refers to the gold. See the Greek. 
The meaning is, that gold, though it 
will bear the action of fire, is yet a de- 
structible thing, and will not endure 
for ever. It is more desirable to test 
religion than it is gold, because it is 
more valuable. It pertains to that 
which is eternal and indestructible, and 
it is therefore of more importance to 
show its true quality, and to free it 
from every improper mixture. ^ Might 
be found unto praise. That is, might 
be found to be genuine, and such as to 
meet the praise or commendation of the 
final Judge. IT And honour. That 
honour might be done to it before as- 
sembled worlds. IT And glory. That 
it might be rewarded with that glory 
which will be then conferred on all 
who have shown, in the various trials 
of life, that they had true religion. 
IT At the appearing of Jesus Christ. 
To judge the world. Comp. Matt. xxv. 
31. Acts i. 11. 1 Thess. iv. 16. 2* 
Thess. ii. 8. 1 Tim. vi. 14. 2 Tim. iv. 
1, 8. Titus ii. 13. From these two 
verses (6 and 7) we may learn, I. That 
it is desirable that the faith of Chris- 
tians should be tried, {a) It is desira- 



A. D. GO.] 



CHAPTER 1. 



133 



ble to know whether that which appears 
to be religion is genuine, as it is desirable 
to know whether that which appears to 
be gold is genuine. To gold we apply 
the action of intense heat, that we may 
know whether it is what it appears to 
be; and as religion is of more value 
than gold, so it is more desirable that 
it should be subjected to the proper 
Jests, that its nature may be ascertained. 
There is much which appears to be 
gold, which is of no value, as there is 
much which appears to be religion, 
which is of no value. The one is 
worth no more than the other, unless 
it is genuine, (b) It is desirable in 
order to show its true value. I; is of 
great importance to know what that 
which is claimed to be gold is worth 
for the purposes to which gold is usu- 
ally applied ; and so it is in regard to 
religion. Religion claims to be of more 
value to man than any thing else. It 
asserts its power to do that for the 
intellect and the heart which no- 
thing else can do ; to impart consola- 
tion in the various trials of life which 
nothing else can impart; and to give a 
support which nothing else can on the 
bed of death. It is very desirable, there- 
fore, that in these various situations it 
should show its power ; that is, that its 
friends should be in these various con- 
ditions, in order that they may illus- 
trate the true value of religion, (c) It 
is desira!'i; j that true religion should be 
separated from all alloy. There is 
often much alloy in gold, and it is de- 
sirable that it should be separated from 
it, in order that it may be pure. So it 
is in religion. It is often combined 
with much that is unholy and impure; 
much that dims its lustre and mars its 
beauty; much that prevents its produc- 
ing the effect which it would otherwise 
produce. Gold is, indeed, often better, 
for some purposes, for having some 
alloy mixed with it; but not so with 
religion. It is never better for having 
a little pride, or vanity, or selfishness, 
or meanness, or worldliness, or sensual- 
12 



ity mingled with it ; and that which 
will remove these things from our reli- 
gion will be a favour to us. II. God 
takes various methods of trying his 
people, with a design to test the value 
of their piety, and to separate it from 
all impure mixtures. (1.) He tries his 
people by prosperity — often as decisive 
a test of piety as can be applied to it. 
There is much pretended piety, which 
will bear adversity, but which will 
not bear prosperity. The piety of a 
man is decisively tested by popularity; 
by the flatteries of the world ; by a 
sudden increase of property : and in 
such circumstances it is often conclu- 
sively shown that there is no true reli- 
gion in the soul. (2.) He tries his 
people in adversity. He lays his hand 
on them heavily, to show (a) whether 
they will bear up under their trials, 
and persevere in his service ; (b) to 
show whether their religion will keep 
them from murmuring or complaining; 
(c) to show whether it is adapted to 
comfort and sustain the soul. (3.) He 
tries his people by sudden transition 
from one to the other. We get accus 
tomed to a uniform course of life, whe 
ther it be joy or sorrow ; and the reli- 
gion which is adapted to a uniform 
course may be little fitted to transitions 
from one condition of life to another. 
In prosperity we may have shown that 
we were grateful, and benevolent, and 
disposed to serve God ; but our religion 
will be subjected to a new test, if ve 
are suddenly reduced to poverty. In 
sickness and poverty, we learn to be. 
patient and resigned, and perhaps even 
happy. But the religion which we 
then cultivated may be little adapted to 
a sudden transition to prosperity ; and 
in such a transition, there would be a 
new trial of our faith. That piety 
which shone so much on a bed of sick- 
ness, might be little fitted to shine in 
circumstances of sudden prosperity. 
The human frame may become accus- 
tomed either to the intense cold of the 
polar regions, or to the burning heats of 



L34 



I. PETER. 



[A, D. 00. 



S Whom having not" seen, ye 

al Jno. 4. 20. 

the equator; but in neither case might it 
bear a transition from one to the other. 
It is such a transition that is a more 
decisive test of its powers of endurance 
than either intense heat or cold, if 
steadily prolonged, III. Religion will 
bear any trial which may be applied 
to it, as gold will bear the action of 
fire. IV. Religion is imperishable in 
its nature. Even the most fine gold 
will perish. Time will corrode it, or 
it will be worn away by use, or it will 
be destroyed at the universal confla- 
gration ; but time and use will not 
wear out religion, and it will live on 
through the fires that will consume 
every thing else. V. Christians should 
be willing to pass through trials, (ct) 
They will purify their religion, as the 
fire will remove dross from gold. (6) 
They will make it shine more brightly, 
as gold does when it comes out of the 
furnace, (c) They will disclose more 
fully its value, (d) They will furnish 
an evidence that we shall be saved ; 
for that religion which will bear the 
tests that God applies to it in the pre- 
sent life, will bear the test of the final 
trial. 

8. Whom having not seen, ye love. 
This epistle was addressed to those 
who were " strangers scattered abroad" 
(Notes, ver. 1), and it is evident that 
they had not personally seen the Lord 
Jesus. Yet they had heard of his cha- 
racter, his preaching, his sacrifice for 
sin, and his resurrection and ascension, 
and they had learned to love him. 
(1.) It is possible to love one whom 
we have not seen. Thus we may love 
God, whom no "eye hath seen" (comp. 
1 John iv. 20) ; and thus we may love 
a benefactor, from whom we have 
received important benefits, whom we 
have never beheld. (2.) We may love 
the character of one whom we have 
never seen, and from whom we may 
never have received any particular fa- 



love; in whom, though now } r e 



vours. We may love his uprightness, 
his patriotism, his benignity, as repre- 
sented to us. We might love him the 
more if we should become personally 
acquainted with him, and if we should 
receive important favours from him , 
but it is possible to feel a sense of strong 
admiration for such a character in itself. 
(3.) That may be a very pure love 
which we have for one whom we have 
never seen. It may be based on sim- 
ple excellence of character ; and in 
such a case there is the least chance 
for any intermingling of selfishness, or 
any improper emotion of any kind. 
(4.) We may love a friend as really 
and as strongly when he is absent, as 
when he is with us. The wide ocean 
that rolls between us and a child, does 
not diminish the ardour of our affection 
for him ; and the Christian friend that 
has gone to heaven, we may love no 
less than when he sat with us at the 
fireside. (5.) Millions, and hundreds 
of millions, have been led to love the 
Saviour, who have never seen him. 
They have seen — not with the bodily 
eye, but with the eye of faith — the in- 
imitable beauty of his character, and 
have been brought to love him with an 
ardour of affection which they never 
had for any other one. (6.) There is 
every reason why we should love him. 
(a) His character is infinitely lovely. 
(6) He has done more for us than any 
other one who ever lived among men. 
He died for us, to redeem our souls. 
He rose, and brought life and immor- 
tality to light. He ever lives, to inter- 
cede for us in heaven. He is employed 
in preparing mansions of rest for us in 
the skies, and he will come and take 
us to himself, that we may be with him 
for ever. Such a Saviour ought to be 
loved, is loved, and will be loved. 
The strongest attachments which 'have 
ever existed on earth have been for this 
unseen Saviour. There has been a 



A. D. 60.] CHAP' 
see him not, yet believing, ye 

a Jno. 18. 22. 

!ove for him stronger than that for father, 
or mother, or wife, or sister, or home, 
or country. It has been so strong, that 
thousands have been willing, on account 
of it, to bear the torture of the rack or 
the stake, It has been so strong, that 
thousands of youth of the finest minds, 
and the most flattering prospects of 
distinction, have been willing to leave 
the comforts of a civilized land, and to 
go among the benighted heathen, to 
tell them the story of a Saviour's life 
and death. It has been so strong, that 
unnumbered multitudes have longed, 
more than they have for all other things, 
that they might see him, and be with 
him, and abide with him for ever and 
ever. Comp. Notes, Phil. i. 23. IT In 
whom, though now ye see him not, yet 
believing. He is now in heaven, and 
to mortal eyes now invisible, like his 
Father. Faith in him is the source 
and fountain of our joy. It makes in- 
visible things real, and enables us to 
feei and act, in view of them, with the 
same degree of certainty as if we saw 
them. Indeed, the conviction to the 
mind of a true believer that there is a 
Saviour, is as certain and as strong as 
jf he saw him ; and the same may be 
*aid of his conviction of the existence 
of heaven, and of eternal realities. If 
it should be said that faith may deceive 
us, we may reply, (1.) May not our 
bodily senses also deceive us? Does 
the eye never deceive ? Are there no 
optical illusions'? Does the ear never 
deceive? Are there no sounds which 
are mistaken ? Do the taste and the 
smell never deceive ? Are we never 
mistaken in the report which the}" bring 
to us? And does the sense of feeling 
never deceive ? Are we never mistaken 
in the size, the hardness, the figure of 
objects which we handle ? But, (2.) 
for all the practical purposes of life, the 
senses are correct guides, and do not 
in general lead us astray. So, (3.) 



PER I. 135 

rejoice with joy a unspeakable 
and full of glory : 

there are objects of faith about which 
we are never deceived, and where we 
do act and must act with the same 
confidence as if we had personally seen 
them. Are we deceived about the ex- 
istence of London, or Paris, or Canton, 
though we may never have seen either? 
May not a merchant embark with per* 
feet propriety in a commercial enter- 
prise, on the supposition that there u 
such a place as London or Canton, 
though he has never seen them ? 
Would he not be reputed mad, if he 
should refuse to do it on this ground ? 
And so, may not a man, in believing 
that there is a heaven, and in forming 
his plans for it, though he has not yet 
seen it, act as rationally and as wisely 
as he who forms his plans on the sup- 
position that there is such a place as 
Canton ? IT Ye rejoice. Ye do re- 
joice,- not merely ye ought to rejoice. 
It may be said of Christians that they 
do in fact rejoice ; they are happy. 
The people of the world often suppose 
that religion makes its professors sad 
and melancholy. That there are those 
who have not great comfort in their 
religion, no one indeed can doubt; but 
this arises from several causes entirely 
independent of their religion. Some 
have melancholy temperaments, and 
are not happy in any thing. Some 
have little evidence that they are Chris- 
tians, and their sadness arises not from 
religion, but from the want of it. But 
that true religion does make its possess- 
ors happy, any one may easily satisfy 
himself by asking any number of sin- 
cere Christians, of any denomination, 
whom he may meet. With one accord 
they will say to him that they have a 
happiness which they never found be- 
fore ; that however much they may 
have possessed of the wealth, the ho- 
nours, and the pleasures of the world — 
and they who are now Christians have 
not all of them been strangers to these 



im i. pe 

9 Receiving the end of your 
aith, even the salvation of your 
souls. 

things — they never knew solid and 
substantial peace till they found it in 
religion. And why should they not 
he believed 1 The world would believe 
them in other things ; why will they 
not when they declare that religion 
does not uiake them gloomy, but happy ] 
f With joy unspeakable. A very 
string expression, and yet verified in 
thousands of cases among young con- 
verts, and among those in the maturer 
days of piety. There are thousands 
who can say that their happiness when 
they first had evidence that their sins 
were forgiven, that the burden of guilt 
was rolled away, and that they were 
the children of God, was unspeakable. 
They had no words to express it, it 
was so full and so new. 

" Tongue can never express 
The sweet comfort and peace 
Of a soul in its earliest love." 

And so there have been thousands of 
mature Christians who can adopt the 
same language, and who could find no 
words to express the peace and joy 
which they have found in the love of 
Christ, and the hope of heaven. And 
why are not all Christians enabled to 
say constantly that they " rejoice with 
joy unspeakable]" Is it not a privi- 
lege which they might possess ? Is 
there any thing in the nature of reli- 
gion which forbids it] Why should 
not one be filled with constant joy who 
has the hope of dwelling in a world of 
glory for ever] Comp. John xiv. 27; 
xvi.*22. IT And full of glory. (1.) 
Of anticipated glory — of the prospect 
of enjoying the glory of heaven. (2.) 
Of present glory — with a joy even now 
which is of the same nature as that in 
heaven ; a happiness the same in kind, 
though not in degree, as that which 
will be ours in a brighter world. The 
saints on earth partake of the same 
kind of joy which they will have in 



ITER. iA. D. 60. 

10 Of which salvation the pro- 
phets have inquired and searched 

a Da. 9. 3. 

heaven ; for the happiness of heaven 
will be but an expansion, a prolonga- 
tion, and a purifying of that which they 
have here. Comp. Notes on Eph.i. 14. 

9. Receiving the end of your faith, 
even the salvation of your souls. The 
result or object of your faith ; that is, 
what your faith is designed and adapted 
to secure. Comp. Notes on Rom. x. 4. 
The word rendered receiving is used 
here as indicating that they would 
surely obtain that. They even now 
had such peace and joy in believing, 
that it furnished undoubted evidence 
that they would be saved; and such 
that it might be said that even now 
they were saved. The condition of 
one who is a true Christian here is so 
secure that it may even now be called 
salvation* 

10. Of which salvation. Of the 
certainty that this system of religion, 
securing the salvation of the soul, would 
be revealed. The object of this refer- 
ence to the prophets seems to be to lead 
them to value the religion which they 
professed more highly, and to encou- 
rage them to bear their trials with pa- 
tience. They were in a condition, in 
many respects, far superior to that of 
the prophets. They had the full light 
of the gospel. The prophets saw it 
only at a distance and but dimly, and 
were obliged to search anxiously that 
they might understand the nature of 
that system of which they were ap- 
pointed to furnish the comparatively 
obscure prophetic intimations, The 
prophets. This language would imply 
that this had been a common and pre- 
valent wish of the prophets. 5T Have 
inquired. This word is intensive. It 
means that they sought out, or scruti 
nized with care the revelations made to 
them, that they might understand exact- 
ly what was implied in that which they 
were appointed to record in respect to 



i\. D. 60. J 



CHAPTEil 1. 



137 



diligently, who prophesied of the 
grace that should come unto you : 



the salvation which was to be made 
known through the Messiah. See the 
following places where the same word 
is used which occurs here. Luke xi. 
50,51. Acts xv. 17. Rom.iii.ll. Heb. 
xi. 6 ; xii. 17. IT And searched dili- 
gently — s%spevvdc*' Comp. Dan. ix. 
2, 3. The word here used means to 
search out, to trace out, to explore. It 
is not elsewhere used in the New Tes- 
tament, though one of the words from 
which this is compounded (ipsvvdco) 
occurs. See John v. 39 (Notes) ; vii. 
52. Rom. viii. 27. 1 Cor. ii. 10. Rev. 
ii. 23. The idea is, that they perceived 
that in their communications there 
were some great and glorious truths 
which they did not fully comprehend, 
and that they diligently employed their 
natural faculties to understand that 
which they were appointed to impart 
to succeeding generations. They thus 
became students and interpreters for 
themselves of their own predictions. 
They were not only prophets, but men. 
They had souls to be saved in the same 
way as others. They had hearts to be 
sanctified by the truth, and it was need- 
ful, in order to this, that truth should be 
applied to their own hearts in the same 
way as to others. The mere fact that 
they were the channels or organs for 
imparting truth to others, would not 
save them any more then the fact that 
a man now preaches truth to others 
will save himself, or than the fact that 
a sutler delivers bread to an army will 
nourish and support his own body. 
IT Who prophesied of the grace that 
should come unto you. Of the favour 
that should be. shown to you in the gos- 
pel. Though the predictions which they 
uttered^ appeared to the men of their 
own times, and perhaps to themselves, 
obscure, yet they were in fact prophecies 
of what was to come, and of the favours 
which, under another dispensation, I 
12* 



11 Searching what, or what 
manner of time the Spirit a oi 

c2 Pe. 1. 21. 



would be bestowed upon the people oi 
God. The apostle does not mean to 
say that they prophesied particularly 
of those persons to whom he was then 
writing, but that their prophecies were 
in fact for their benefit, for the things 
which they predicted had actually ter- 
minated on them. The benefit was as 
real as though the predictions had been 
solely on their account. 

11. Searching what. That is, ex- 
amining their own predictions with 
care, to ascertain what they meant. 
They studied th em as we do the pre- 
dictions which others have made ; and 
though the prophets were the medium 
through which the truth was made 
known, yet their own predictions be- 
came a subject of careful investigation 
to themselves. The expression here 
used in the original, rendered 'what 1 
(ftj T?lva), literally, 'unto what, 1 may 
mean, so far as the Greek is concerned, 
either < what time,' or « what people/ 
or « what person/ that is, with refer- 
ence to what person the prophecies 
were really uttered. The latter, it seems 
to me, is the correct interpretation, 
meaning that they inquired in regard 
to him, who he would be, what would 
be his character, and what would be 
the nature of the work which he would 
perform. There can be no doubt that 
they understood that their predictions 
related to the Messiah ; but still it is 
not improper to suppose that it was 
with them an interesting inquiry what 
sort of a person he would be, and what 
w T ould be the nature of the w r ork which 
he would perform. This interpretation 
of the phrase Us tCva {unto vjhat, oi 
whom), it should be observed, how- 
ever, is not that which is commonly 
given of the passage. Bloomfield, Ro- 
senmiiller, Doddridge, Whitby, Benson, 
and Grotius, suppose it to refer to time, 
meaning that they inquired at what time, 



i. PETER. 



[A. D. 60. 



Christ which was in them did 
signify, when it testified before- 

or when these things would occur. Mac- 
knight thinks it refers to people (juxor), 
meaning that they diligently inquired 
what people would put him to death. But 
the most obvious interpretation is that 
which I have suggested above, meaning 
that they made particular inquiry to 
whom their prophecies related — what 
was his rank and character, and what 
was to be the nature of his work. 
What would be a more natural inquiry 
for them than this 1 What would be 
more important 1 And how interesting 
is the thought that when Isaiah, for 
example, had given utterance to the 
sublime predictions which we now 
have of the Messiah, in his prophecies, 
he sat himself down with the spirit of 
a little child, to learn by prayer and 
study, what was fully implied in the 
amazing words which the Spirit had 
taught him to record ! How much of 
mystery might seem still to hang 
around the subject! And how intent 
would such a mind be to know what 
was the full import of those words ! 
% Or what manner of lime. This, 
phrase, in Greek («:oW xatpov), would 
properly relate, not to the exact time 
when these things would occur, but to 
the character or condition of the age 
when they would take place ; perhaps 
referring to the state of the world at 
that period, the preparation to receive 
the gospel, and the probable manner in 
which the great message would be re- 
ceived. Perhaps, however, the inquiry 
in their minds pertained to the time 
when the predictions would be fulfilled, 
as well as to the condition of the world 
when the event takes place. The 
meaning of the Greek phrase would 
not exclude this latter sense. There 
are not unfrequent indications of time 
in the prophets (comp. Dan. ix. 24, 
seq.), and these indications were of so 
clear a character that when the Saviour 
actually appeared there was a general 



hand the suffering's of Christ, 
and the glory that should follow. 

expectation that the event would then 
occur. See Notes on Matt. ii. 2. IT The 
Spirit of Christ which was in them. 
This does not prove that they knew 
that this was the Spirit of Christ, but 
is only a declaration of Peter that it 
was actually so. It is not probable 
that the prophets distinctly understood 
that the spirit of inspiration, by which 
they were led to foretell future events, 
was peculiarly the spirit of Christ. 
They understood that they were in- 
spired ; but there is no intimation, with 
which I am acquainted, in their writ- 
ings, that they regarded themselves as 
inspired by the Messiah. It was not 
improper, however, for Peter to say 
that the spirit by which they were in- 
fluenced was in fact the Spirit of Christ, 
so called because that Spirit which sug- 
gested these future events to them was 
given as the great Medium of all re- 
vealed truth to the world. Comp. Heb. 
i. 3. John i. 9 ; xiv. 16, 26; xvi. 7. 
Isa. xlix. 6. It is clear from this pas- 
sage, (1.) That Christ must have had 
an existence before his incarnation ; 
and (2.) That he must have understood 
then what would occur to him when 
he should become incarnate ; that is, it 
must have been arranged or determined 
beforehand. TT Did signify. Meant to 
intimate or manifest to them (sbrfiov) ; 
or what was implied in the communi- 
cations made to them. TT When it 
testified beforehand the sufferings of 
Christ. As Isaiah, ch. liii. Daniel, ch. 
ix. 25- — 27. They saw clearly that the 
Messiah was to suffer ; and doubtless 
this was the common doctrine of the 
prophets, and the common expectation 
of the pious part of the Jewish nation. 
Yet it is not necessary to suppose that 
they had clear apprehensions of his 
sufferings, or were able to reconcile all 
that was said on that subject with what 
was said of his glory and his triumphs. 
There was much about those sufferings 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER JL 



139 



12. Unto whom it was re- 1 things, w r hich are now reported 
vealed, that not a unto themselves unto you by them that have 



but unto us they did minister the 

a He. 11. 39, 40. 



which they wished to learn, as there is 
much still which we desire to know. 
We have no reason to suppose that 
there were any views of the sufferings 
of the Messiah communicated to the 
prophets except what w-e now have in 
the Old Testament; and to see the 
force of what Peter says, we ought to 
imagine what would be our views of 
him if all that we have known of Christ 
as history were obliterated, and w r e had 
only the knowledge which we could 
derive from the Old Testament. As 
has been already intimated, it is pro- 
bable that they studied their own pre- 
dictions, just as we would study them 
if we had not the advantage of applying 
to them the facts which have actually 
occurred. % And the glory that should 
follow. That is, they saw that there 
would be glory which would be the 
result of his sufferings, but they did not 
clearly see what it would be. They 
had some knowledge that he would be 
raised from the dead (Ps. xvi. 8 — 11, 
Comp. Acts ii. 25 — 28) ; they knew 
that he wouUl ' see of the travail of his 
soul, and would be satisfied' (Isa. liii. 
J 1) ; they had some large views of the 
effects of the gospel on the nations of 
the earth. Isa. xi. ; xxv. 7, 8 ; Ix. ; 
Ixvi. But there were many things re- 



specting nis glor; 



tion which it can- 



not be supposed they clearly under- 
stood; and it is reasonable to presume 
that they made the comparatively few 
and obscure intimations in their own 
writings in relation to this, the subject 
of profound and prayerful inquiry. 

12. Unto whom it was revealed. 
They were not permitted to know fully 
the import of the predictions which 
they were made the instruments of 
communicating to mankind, but they 
understood that they were intended 
for the benefit of future ages. ^ That 
not unto themselves. We are not to 



preached the gospel unto you 

suppose that they derived no benefit 
from their own predictions, for as far 
as they understood the truth it was aa 
much adapted to sanctify and comfort 
them as it is us now ; but the meaning 
is, that their messages had reference 
mainly to future times, and that the 
full benefit of them would be experi- 
enced only in distant ages. Comp. Heb, 
xi. 39,40. %Unto as they did minister 
the things which are now reported 
unto you. Not unto us by name ; but 
their ministrations had reference to the 
times of the Messiah, and those to 
whom Peter wrote, in common with 
all Christians, were those who were 
to enjoy the fruits of the communica- 
tions which they made. The word 
reported means announced, or made 
known. IT By them that have preached 
the gospel unto you. The apostles 
who have made known unto you, in 
their true sense, the things which 
the prophet^ predicted, the import of 
which they themselves were so desi- 
rous of understanding. With the 
Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. 
Accompanied by the influences of the 
Holy Ghost bearing those truths to the 
heart, and confirming them to the soul. 
It was the same spirit which inspired 
the prophets which conveyed those 
truths to the soul^ of the early Chris- 
tians, and which discloses them to true 
believers in every age. Comp. John xvi. 
13, 14. Acts ii. 4; x. 44, 45. The 
object of Peter by thus referring to the 
prophets, and to the interest which 
they took in the things which those to 
whom he wrote now enjoyed, seems to 
have been to impress on them a deep 
sense of the value of the gospel, and 
of the great privileges which they 
enjoyed. They were reaping the be 
nefit of all the labours of the prophets 
They were permitted to see truth clearlv 
which the prophets ihemsHves saw 



I4G I. PE 

with the Holy Ghost a sent down 

a Ac. 2. 4. 2 Co. 1. 22. b Ep. 3. 10. 

only obscurely. They were in many 
respects more favoured than even those 
holy men had been. It was for them 
that the prophets had spoken the word 
of the Lord ; for them and their salva- 
tion that a long line of the most holy 
men that the world ever saw had lived, 
and toiled, and suffered ; and while 
they themselves had not been allowed 
to understand the full import of their 
own predictions, the most humble be- 
liever was permitted to see what the 
most distinguished prophet never saw. 
See Matt. xiii. 17. IT Which things the 
angels desire to look into* The object 
of this reference to the angels is the 
same as that to the prophets. It is to 
impress on Christians a sense of the 
value of that gospel which they had 
received, and to show them the great- 
ness of their privileges in being made 
partakers of it. It had excited the 
deepest interest among the most holy 
men on earth, and even among the in- 
habitants of the skies. They were 
enjoying the full revelation of what 
even the angels had desired more fully 
to understand, and to comprehend 
which they had employed their great 
powers of investigation. The things 
which are here referred to c£ — unto 
which), are those which the prophets 
were so desirous to understand — the 
great truths respecting the sufferings 
of Christ, the glory which would follow, 
and the nature and effects of the gospel. 
In all the events pertaining to the re- 
demption of a world they felt a deep 
interest. The word which is rendered 
« to look' (riapaxv^av) is rendered stoop- 
ing down, and stoop&I down, in Luke 
xxiv. 12. John xx. $, 11 ; looheth, in 
James i. 25, and look, in the place 
before us. It does not elsewhere occur 
in the New Testament. It properly 
means to stoop down near by any 
thing; to bend forward near in order 
to look at any thing more closely. 
Robinson* Lex* It would denote that 



per. i a. d. 6a 

from heaven ; which things the 
angels b desire to look into. 

state where one who was before at so 
great a distance that he could not 
clearly see an object, should draw 
nearer stooping down in order that he 
might observe it more distinctly. It is 
possible, as Grotius supposes, that there 
may be an allusion here to the posture 
of the cherubim over the mercy-seat, 
represented as looking down with an 
intense gaze, as if to behold what was 
in the ark; but it is not necessary to 
suppose that this is the allusion, nor is 
it absolutely certain that that was the 
posture of the cherubim. See Notes 
on Heb. ix. 5. All that is necessarily 
implied in the language is, that the 
angels had an intense desire to look 
into these things ; that they contem- 
plated them with interest and fixed 
attention, like one who comes near to 
an object, and looks narrowly upon it. 
In illustration of this sentiment, we 
may make the following suggestions : 
I. The angels doubtless desire to look 
into all the manifestations of the cha- 
racter of God wherever those manifest- 
ations are made. (1.) It is not unrea- 
sonable to suppose that, to a great 
degree, they acquire the knowledge of 
God as all other creatures do. They 
are not omniscient, and cannot be sup- 
posed to comprehend at a glance all his 
doings. (2.) They doubtless employ 
their faculties, substantially as we do, 
in the investigation of truth ; that is, 
from things known they seek to learn 
those that are even unknown. (3.) It is 
not unreasonable to suppose that there 
are many things in relation to the di- 
vine character and plans which they do 
not yet understand. They know, un- 
doubtedly, much more than we do ; but 
there are plans and purposes of God 
which are yet made known to none or 
his creatures. No one can doubt that 
these plans and purposes must be the 
object of the attentive study of all holy 
created minds. (4.) They doubtless 
feel a great interest in the welfare of 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAP' 



TER I. 



141 



other beings — of their fellow-creatures 
wherever they are. There is in ihe 
universe one great brotherhood, em- 
bracing all the creatures of God. (5.) 
They cannot but feel a deep interest in 
man — a fallen creature, tempted, suffer- 
ing, dying, and exposed to eternal death. 
This they have shown in every period 
of the world's history. Notes on Heb. 
i. 14. II. It is probable that in each 
one of the worlds which God has made, 
there is some peculiar manifestation of 
his glory and character ; something 
which is no*t to be found at all in any 
other world, or, if found, not in so 
great perfection ; and that the angels 
would feel a deep interest in all these 
manifestations, and would desire to 
look into them. (1.) This is probable 
from the nature of the case, and from 
the variety which we see in the form, 
size, movements, and glory of the 
heavenly orbs. There is no reason to 
suppose that on any one of those 
worlds all the glory of the divine cha- 
racter would be manifest which he 
intends to make known to the universe. 
(2.) This is probable from what we can 
now see of the worlds which he -has 
made. We know as yet comparatively 
little of the heavenly bodies, and of the 
manifestations of the Deity there ; and 
yet as far as we can see, there must be 
far more striking exhibitions of the 
power, and wisdom, and glory of God 
in many or most of those worlds that 
roll above us than there are on our 
earth. On the body of the sun ; on 
the planets Jupiter and Saturn, so vast 
in comparison with the earth, there 
must be far more impressive exhibitions 
of the glory of the Creator than there 
is on our little planet. Saturn, for 
example, is 82,000 miles in diameter, 
1100 times as large as our earth; it 
moves at the rate of 22,000 miles an 
bout ; it is encircled by two magnifi- 
cent rings, 5000 miles apart, the inner- 
most of which is 21,000 miles from the 
body of the planet, and 22,000 miles 
in breadth, forming a vast illuminated 



arch over the planet above the bright- 
ness of our moon, and giving a most 
beautiful appearance to the heavens 
there. It is also, doubtless, true of all 
the worlds which God has made, that 
in each one of them there may be some 
peculiar manifestation of the glory of 
the Deity. (3.) The universe, there- 
fore, seems fitted up to give eternal 
employment to mind in contemplating 
it ; and in the worlds which God has 
made there is enough to employ the 
study of his creatures for ever. On 
our own world, the most diligent and 
pious student of the works of God 
might spend many thousand years, and 
then leave much, very much, which he 
did not comprehend ; and it may yet 
be the eternal employment of holy 
minds to range from world to world, 
and in each new world to find much 
to study and to admire ; much that 
shall proclaim the wisdom, power, love, 
and goodness of God, which had not 
elsewhere been seen. (4.) Our world, 
therefore, though small, a mere speck 
in creation, may have something to 
manifest the glory of the Creator which 
may not exist in any other. It cannot 
be its magnitude, for in that respect it 
is among the smallest which God has 
made ; it may not be the height and 
the majesty of our mountains, or the 
length and beauty of our rivers, or the 
fragrance of our flowers, or the clear- 
ness of our sky, for in these respects 
there may be much more to admire in 
other worlds: it is the exhibition of 
the character of God in the work of 
redemption ; the illustration of the way 
in which a sinner may be forgiven; 
the manifestation of the Deity as incar- 
nate, assuming permanently a union 
with one of his own creatures. This, 
so far as we know, is seen in no other 
part of the universe ; and this is hon- 
our enough for one world. To see 
this the angels may be attracted down 
to earth. When they come, they come 
not to contemplate our works of art, 
our painting and our sculpture, or to 



142 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 60. 



read our books of science or poetry : 
they come to gather around the cross, 
to minister to the Saviour, to attend on 
his steps while living, and to watch 
over his body when dead ; to witness 
his resurrection and ascension, and to 
bless, with their offices of kindness, 
those whom he died to redeem. Heb. i. 4. 
III. What, then, is there in our world 
which we may suppose would attract 
their attention 1 What is there which 
they would not see in other worlds ? I 
answer, that the manifestation of the 
divine character in the plan of redemp- 
tion is that which would peculiarly 
attract their attention here, and lead 
them from heaven down to earth. (1.) 
The mystery of the incarnation of the 
Son of God would be to them an ob- 
ject of the deepest interest. This, so far 
as we know, or have reason to suppose, 
has occurred nowhere else. There is 
no evidence that in any other world 
God has taken upon himself the form 
of one of his own creatures dwelling 
there, and stooped to live and act like 
one of them ; to mingle with them ; to 
share their feelings, and to submit to 
toil, and want, and sacrifice for their 
welfare. (2.) The fact that the guilty 
could be pardoned would attract their 
attention, for (a) it is elsewhere un- 
known, no inhabitant of heaven having 
the need of pardon, and no offer of 
pardon having been made to a rebel 
angel. (6) There are great and diffi- 
cult questions about the whole subject 
of forgiveness which an angel could 
easily see, but which he could not so 
easily solve. How could it be done 
consistently with the justice and truth 
of God? How could he forgive, and 
yet maintain the honour of his own 
law, and the stability of his own throne ] 
There is no more difficult subject in a 
human administration than that of 
pardon; and there is none which so 
much perplexes those who are entrusted 
with executive power. (3.) The way 
in which pardon has been shown to the 
guilty here would excite their deep 



attention. It has been in a mannei 
entirely consistent with justice and 
truth, showing, through the great sac- 
rifice made on the cross, that the attri- 
butes of justice and mercy may both 
be exercised ; that while God may 
pardon to any extent, he does it in no 
instance at the expense of justice and 
truth. This blending of the-attributes 
of the Almighty in beautiful harmony; 
this manifesting of mercy to the guilty 
and the lost ; this raising up a fallen 
and rebellious race to the favour and 
friendship of God ; and this opening 
before a dying creature the hope of im- 
mortality, was what could he seen by 
the angels nowhere else, and hence it 
is no wonder that they hasten with such 
interest to our world to learn the mys- 
teries of redeeming love. Every step 
in the process of recovering a sinner 
must be new to them, for it is unseen 
elsewhere ; and the whole work, the 
atonement, the pardon and renovation 
of the sinner, the conflict of the child 
of God with his spiritual foes, the sup- 
ports of religion in the time of sick- 
ness and temptation, the bed of death, 
the sleep in the tomb, the separate 
flight of the soul to its final abode, the 
resurrection of the body, and the solemn 
scenes of the judgment, all must open 
new fields of thought to an angelic 
mind, and attract the heavenly inhabit- 
ants to our world to learn here what 
they cannot learn in their own abodes, 
however otherwise bright, where sin, and 
suffering, and death, and redemption are 
unknown. In view of these truths we 
may add: (1.) The work of redemp- 
tion is worthy of the study of the pro- 
foundest minds. Higher talent than 
any earthly talent has been employed 
in studying it, for to the most exalted 
intellects of heaven it has been a theme 
of the deepest interest. No mind on 
earth is too exalted to be engaged m 
this study; no intellect here is so pro- 
found that it would not find in this 
study a range of inquiry worthy of it 
self. (2.) This is a study that is p-cq 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER I. 



143 



13 Wherefore gird a up the 
loins of your mind, be sober, b 
and hope 1 in the end c for the 

a Lu. 12. 35. b Lu. 21. 34. 

liarly appropriate to man. The angels 
have no other interest in it than that 
which arises from a desire to know 
Go<l, and from a benevolent regard for 
the welfare of others ; we have a per- 
sonal interest in it of the highest kind. 
It pertains primarily to us. The plan 
was formed for us. Our eternal all 
depends upon it. The angels would 
be safe and happy if they did not fully 
understand it ; if we do not understand 
it, we are lost for ever. It has claims 
to their attention as a wonderful exhi- 
bition of the character and purposes 
of God, and as they are interested in 
the welfare of others; it claims our 
attention because our eternal welfare 
depends on our accepting the offer of 
mercy made through a Saviour's blood. 
(3.) How amazing then, how wonder- 
ful, is the indifference of man to this 
great and glorious work ! How won- 
derful that neither as a matter of specu- 
lation, nor of personal concern, he can 
be induced " to look into these things !" 
How wonderful that all other subjects 
engross his attention, and excite in- 
quiry, but that for this he feels no 
concern, and that here he finds no- 
thing to interest him! It is not un- 
reasonable to suppose that amidst all 
the other topics of wonder in this 
plan as seen by angels, this is not the 
least — that man by nature takes no in- 
terest in it; that in so stupendous a 
v/ork, performed in his own world, he 
feels no concern ; that he is unmoved 
when he is told that even God became 
incarnate, and appeared on the earth 
where he himself dwells ; and that, 
busy and interested as he is in other 
things, often of a most trifling nature, 
he has no concern for that on which is 
suspended his own eternal happiness. 
If heaven was held in mute astonish- 
ment when the Son of God left the 



grace that is to be brought i nto 
you at the revelation of Je^us 
Christ : 

i perfectly. c He. 10. 35. 

courts of glory to be poor, to be perse- 
cuted, to bleed, and to die, not less 
must be the astonishment then when, 
from those lofty heights, the angelic 
hosts look down upon a race uncon 
cerned amidst wonders such as those 
of the incarnation and the atonement! 

13. Wherefore gird up the loins of 
your mind. The allusion here is to 
the manner in which the Orientals 
were accustomed to dress. They w r ear 
loose, flowing robes, so that when they 
wished to run, or to fight, or to apply 
themselves to any business, they are 
obliged to bind their garments close 
around them. See Notes on Matt. v. 
38 — 41. The meaning here is, that 
they were to have their minds in con- 
stant preparation to discharge the du- 
ties, or to endure the trials of life — like 
those who were prepared for labour, for 
a race, or for a conflict. % Be sober. 
See Notes on 1 Tim. iii. 2. Tittisu. 8 ; 
ii. 2. 1T And hope to the end. Ma rg. 
perfectly. The translation in the text 
is the most correct. It means that they 
were not to become faint or weary in 
their trials. They were not to aban- 
don the hopes of the gospel, but were 
to cherish those hopes to the end of 
life, whatever opposition they might 
meet with, and however much might 
be done by others to induce them to 
apostatize. Comp. Notes on Heb. x. 
35, 36. IT For the grace that is to 
be brought unto you, For the favour 
that shall then be bestowed upon you ; 
to wit, salvation. The word brought 
here means that this great favour which 
they hoped for would be borne to them 
by the Saviour on his return from hea- 
ven. IT At the revelation of Jesm 
Christ. When the Lord Jesus shall 
be revealed from heaven in his glory , 
that is, when he comes to judge the 
world. Notes, 2 Thegs. i. 7- 



144 

14 As obedient children, not 
fashioning "yourselves according 
to the former lusts in your igno- 
rance : 

a Ro. 12. 2. b Le. 11. 44. 



L PETER. [A. P. 60. 

15 But as he which hath called 
you is holy, so be ye holy in all 
manner of conversation ; 

16 Because it is written, b Be 
ye holy ; for I am holy. 



14. As obedient children. That is, 
conduct yourselves as becomes the 
children of God, by obeying his com- 
mands ; by submitting to his will ; and 
by manifesting unwavering confidence 
in him as your Father, at all times. 
IF Not fashioning yourselves. Not 
forming or modelling your life. Comp. 
Notes, Rom. xii. 2. The idea is, that 
they were to have some model or ex- 
ample in accordance with which they 
were to frame their lives, but that they 
were not to make their own former 
principles and conduct the model. The 
Christian is to be as different from 
what he was himself before conversion 
as he is from his fellow-men. He is 
to be governed by new laws, to aim 
at new objects, and to mould his life 
in accordance with d'jw principles. 
Before conversion he wls (' - su t 'em^ly 
?elfish ; (6) he lived for p v «onaI grati- 
fication ; (c) he gave free . r y_ufge",ice 
to his appetites and passions, restrained 
only by a respect for the decencies of 
life, and by a reference to his own 
health, property, or reputation, without 
regard to the will of God ; (c?) he con- 
formed himself to the customs and opi- 
nions around him, rather than to the 
requirements of his Maker; (e) he 
lived for worldly aggrandizements, his 
supreme object being wealth or fame ; 
or (/) in many cases those who are 
now Christians gave indulgence to 
every passion which they wished to 
gratify, regardless of reputation, health, 
property, or salvation. Now they are 
to be governed by a different rule, and 
their own former standard of morals 
and of opinions is no longer their guide, 
but the will of God. 1T According to 
the former lusts in your ignorance, 
When you were ignorant of the re- 



quirements of the gospel, and gave 
yourselves up to the unrestrained in 
diligence of your passions. 

15. But as he who hath called you 
is holy. On the word called, see Notes 
on Eph. iv. 1. The meaning here is, 
that the model or example in accordance 
with which they were to frame their 
lives, should be the character of that 
God who had called them into his 
kingdom. They were to be like him. 
Comp. Notes, Matt. v. 48. IT So be 
ye holy in all manner of conversation, 
In all your conduct. On the word 
conversation, see Notes on Phil. i. 27 
The meaning is, that since God is holy, 
and we profess to be his followers, we 
ought also to be holy. 

16. Because it is written, Be ye 
holy; for I am holy. Lev. xi. 44 
This command was addressed at first 
to the Israelites, but it is with equal 
propriety addressed to Christians, as 
the professed people of God. The 
foundation of the command is, that 
they professed to be his people, and 
that as his people they ought to be like 
their God. Comp. Micah iv. 5. It is 
a great truth that men everywhere will 
imitate the God whom they worship. 
They will form their character in ac- 
cordance with his. They will regard 
what he does as right. They will at- 
tempt to rise no higher in virtue than 
the God whom they adore, and they 
will practise freely what he is supposed 
to do or approve. Hence, by knowing 
what are the characteristics of the gods 
which are worshipped by any people, . 
we may form a correct estimate of the 
character of the people themselves ; 
and hence, as the God who is the ob- 
ject of the Christian's worship is per- 
fectly holy, the character of his wor 



A.D. 60.] CHAPTER I. 145 

17 And if ye call on the Fa- every man's work, pass the timti 

ther, who without respect of of your sojourning here in fear.° 

persons judgeth according to 18 Forasmuch as ye know 

a Ph. 2. 12. that ye were not redeemed with 



shippers should also be holy. And 
hence, also, we may see that the ten- 
lency of true religion is to make men 
pure. As the worship of the impure 
gods of the heathen moulds the charac- 
ter of the worshippers into their image, 
so the worship of Jehovah moulds the 
;liaracter of his professed friends into 
lis image, and they become like him. 

17. And if ye call on the Father, 
That is, if you are true Christians, or 
cruly pious — piety being represented in 
;he Scriptures as calling on God, or as 
;he worship of God. Comp. Acts ix. 
II. Gen. iv. 26. 1 Kings xviii. 24. 
Ps. cxvi. 17. 2 Kings v. 11. 1 Chron. 
xvi. 8. Joel ii. 32. Rom. x. 13. Zeph. 
lii. 9. 1 Cor. i. 2. Acts ii. 21. The 
word * Father' here is used evidently 
not to denote the Father in contradis- 
tinction to the Son, but as referring to 
God as the Father of the universe. 
See ver. 14. "As obedient children, 11 
God is often spoken of as the Father 
of the intelligent beings whom he has 
made. Christians worship him as a 
Father — as one having all the feelings 
of a kind and tender parent towards 
them. Comp. Ps. ciii. 13, seq. IT Who 
without respect of persons. Impar- 
tiality. Who is not influenced in his 
treatment of men by a regard to 
rank, wealth, beauty, or any external 
distinction. See Notes on Acts x. 34, 
and Rom. ii. 11. t Judgeth according 
to every man's work. He judges each 
one according to his character; or to 
what he has done. Rev. xxii. 12. 
Notes, 2 Cor. v. 10. The meaning is, 
<you worship a God who will judge 
every man according to his real cha- 
racter, and you should therefore lead 
such lives as he can approve.' % Pass 
the time of your sojourning. 1 Of 
your temporary residence on earth. 
This is not your permanent home, but 
13 



you are strangers and sojourners.' See 
Notes on Heb. xi. 13. % In fear. 
Notes, Phil. ii. 12. Heb. xii. 28. With 
true reverence or veneration for God 
and his law. Religion is often repre- 
sented as the reverent fear of God. 
Deut. vi. 2, 13, 24. Prov. i. 7; iii. 13; 
xiv. 26, 27, et ssepe al. 

18. Forasmuch as ye know. This 
is an argument for a holy life derived 
from the fact that they were redeemed, 
and from the manner in which their 
redemption had been effected. There 
is no more effectual way to induce true 
Christians to consecrate themselves en- 
tirely to God, than to refer them to the 
fact that they are not their own, but 
have been purchased by the blood of 
Christ. IT That ye were not redeemed. 
On the word rendered redeemed (a.uT'poca 
—lutroo), see Notes, Titus ii. 14. The 
word occurs in the New Testament 
only in Luke xxiv. 21. Titus ii. 14, 
and in this place. The noun (pivrpov 
— lulron) is found in Matt. xx. 28. 
Mark x. 45, rendered ransom. For 
the meaning of the similar word (dato- 
Jivtfpucrts — apolutrosis}, see Notes on 
Rom. iii. 24. This word occurs in 
Luke xxi. 28. Rom. iii. 24 ; viii. 23 
1 Cor. i. 30. Eph. i. 7, 14 ; iv. 30. 
Col. i. 14. Heb. ix. 15, in ail which 
places it is rendered redemption, and 
in Heb. xi. 35, where it is rendered 
deliverance. The word here means 
that they were rescued from sin and 
death by the blood of Christ, as the 
valuable consideration on account of 
which it was done ; that is, the blood 
or the life of Christ offered as a sacri- 
fice effected the same purpose in regard 
to justice and to the maintenance of 
the principles of moral government, 
which the punishment of the sinnei 
himself would have done. It was thai 
which God was pleased to accept ill 



146 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 60 



corruptible things, as silver and 
gold, from your vain conversa- 
tion received by tradition from 
your fathers; 

the place of the punishment of the sin- 
ner, as answering the same great ends 
in his administration. The principles 
of his truth and justice could as cer- 
tainly be maintained in this way as by 
the punishment of the guilty them- 
selves. If so, then there was no ob- 
stacle to their salvation, and they might, 
on repentance, be consistently pardoned 
and taken to heaven. IT With corrupt- 
idle things, as silver and gold. On 
the word corruptible, as applicable to 
gold, see Notes on ver. 7. Silver and 
gold usually constitute the price or the 
valuable consideration paid for the re- 
demption of captives. It is clear that 
the obligation of one who is redeemed, 
to love his benefactor, is in proportion 
to the price which is paid for his ran- 
som. The idea here is, that a price 
far more valuable than any amount of 
silver or gold had been paid for the re- 
demption of the people of God, and 
that they were under proportionate ob- 
ligation to devote themselves to his 
service. They were redeemed by the 
life of the Son of God offered in their 
behalf, and between the value of that 
life and silver and gold there could be 
no comparison. II From your vain 
conversation. Your vain conduct, or 
manner of life. Notes on ver. 15. 
The word vain applied to conduct 
(jAUTtoAos) means properly empty, fruit- 
less. It is a word often applied to the 
worship of idols, as being nothing, 
worthless, unable to help (Acts xiv. 15. 
1 Kings xvi. 13. 2 Kings xvii. 15. Jer. 
ii. 5, 8, 19), and is probably used in a 
similar sense in this place. The apos- 
tle refers to their former worship of 
idols, and to all the abominations con- 
nected with that service as being vain 
and unprofitable ; as the worship of 
nothing real (comp. 1 Cor. viii. 4, 
« We know that an idol is nothing in 



19 But with the precious blood 
of Christ, as of a lamb a without 
blemish and without spot : 

a Jno. 1. 29, 36. Re. 7. 14. 

the world") ; and as resulting in a 
course of life that answered none of tho 
proper ends of living. From that they 
had been redeemed by the blood of 
Christ. IT Received by tradition from 
your fathers. The mode of worship 
which had been handed down from 
father to son. The worship of idols 
depends on no better reason than that 
it is that which has been practised in 
ancient times, and it is kept up now in 
all lands in a great degree only by the 
fact that it has had the sanction of the 
venerated men of other generations. 

19. But with the precious blood of 
Christ. On the use of the word blood, 
and the reason why the efficacy of the 
atonement is said to be in the blood, 
see Notes on Rom. iii. 25. The word 
precious (fCpiof) is a word which 
would be applied to that which is worth 
much ; which is costly. Comp. for the 
use of the noun (t 1 ^) in this sense 
Matt, xxvii. 6, « The price of blood." 
Acts iv. 34; v. 2, 3; vii. 16. See also 
for the use of the adjective (rlfxio^) 
Rev. xvii. 4, "gold and precious stones." 
Rev. xviii. 12, "vessels of rnost pre- 
cious wood." Rev. xxi. 11, "a stone 
most precious." The meaning here 
is, that the blood of Christ had a value 
above silver and gold ; it was worth 
more, to wit (1.), in itself — being a 
more valuable thing ; and (2.) in effect- 
ing our redemption. It accomplished 
what silver and gold could not do. Th6 
universe had nothing more valuable to 
offer, of which we can conceive, than 
the blood of the Son of God. 1 As of 
a lamb. That is, of Christ regarded 
as a lamb offered for sacrifice. Notes 
on John i. 29. IT Without blemish and 
without spot. Such a lamb only waa 
allowed to be offered in sacrifice. Lev. 
xxii. 20—24. Mai. i. 8. This waa 
required (1.) because it was proper 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER L 



147 



20 Who verily was fore-or- 
dained before a the foundation 
of the world, but was manifest 
in these last times for you; 

a Re. 13. 8. b Mat. 28. 18. Ph. 2. 9. 



that man should offer that which was 
regarded as perfect in its kind ; and 
(2.) because only that would be a 
proper symbol of the great sacrifice 
which was to be made by the Son of 
God. The idea was thus kept up from 
age to age that he, of whom all these 
victims were the emblems, would be 
perfectly pure. 

20. Who verily was fore-ordained 
before the foundation of the world. 
That is, it was fore-ordained, or pre- 
determined, that he should be the great 
atoning sacrifice for sin. On the 
meaning of the word fore-ordained 
(rtpoywwtfjeca) see Rom. viii. 29. The 
word is rendered which knew, Acts 
xxvi. 5 ; foreknew and foreknow, Rom. 
viii. 29 : xi. 2 ; fore-ordained, 1 Pet. 
i. 20 ; and know before, 2 Pet. ii. 
17. It does not elsewhere occur in 
the New Testament. The sense is, 
that the plan was formed, and the ar- 
rangements made for the atonement 
before the world was created. 1T Before 
the foundation of the world. That is, 
from eternity. It was before man was 
formed ; before the earth was made ; 
before any of the material universe was 
brought into being; before the angels 
were created. Comp. Notes on Matt, 
xxv. 34. John xvii. 24. Eph. i. 4. 
IT But was manifest. Was revealed. 
Notes on 1 Tim. iii. 16. IT In these 
last times. In this, the last dispensa- 
tion of things on the earth. Notes on 
Heb. i. 2. IT For you. For your benefit 
or advantage. See Notes on ver. 12. 
It follows from what is said in this 
verse, (1.) That the atonement was 
not an after-thought on the part ot 
God. It entered into his plan when 
he made the world, and was revolved 
in his purposes from eternity (2.) It 



21 Wno by nine do believe in 
God, that raised him up from the 
dead, and b gave him glory, that 
your faith and hope might be in 
God. 



was not a device to supply a defect in 
the system ; that is, it was not adopted 
because the system did not work well, 
or because God had been disappointed. 
It was arranged before man was created, 
and when none but God could know 
whether he would stand or fall. (3.) 
The creation of the earth must have 
had some reference to this plan of re- 
demption, and that plan must have 
been regarded as in itself so glorious, 
and so desirable, that it was deemed 
best to bring the world into existence 
that the plan might be developed, 
though it would involve the certainty 
that the race would fall, and that many 
would perish. It was, on the whole, 
more wise and benevolent that the race 
should be created with a certainty that 
they would apostatize, than it would be 
that the race should not be created, and 
the plan of salvation be unknown to 
distant worlds. See Notes on ver. 12. 

21. Who by him do believe in God. 
Faith is sometimes represented particu- 
larly as exercised in God, and some- 
times in Christ. It is always a charac- 
teristic of true religion that a man has 
faith in God. Comp. Notes on Mark 
xi. 22. That raised him up from 
the dead. Notes on Acts ii. 24 ; iii. 15, 
26; iv. 10 ; v. 30 ; xiii. 30. Rom. iv. 
24; vi. 4. 1 Cor. xv. 15. IT And gave 
him glory. By exalting him at his 
own right hand in heaven. Phil. ii. 9. 
1 Tim. iii. 16. Eph. i. 20, 21. IT That 
your faith and hope might be vx God. 
That is, by raising up the Lord Jesus, 
and exalting him to heaven, he has 
laid the foundation of confidence in 
his promises, and of the hope of eternal 
life. Comp. Notes on ver. 3. Comp. 
1 Cor. xv. Col. i. 27. 1 Thess. i. a 
1 Tim. i. 1. 



148 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 6u. 



22 Seeing ye have purified 
your souls in obeying the truth 

* through the Spirit unto un- 

a Jno. 17. 17, 19. 

22. Seeing ye have purified your 
souls. Gr. 'Having purified your 
souls.' The apostles were never afraid 
of referring to human agency as having 
sn important part in saving the soui. 
Com p. 1 Cor. iv. 15. No one is made 
pure without personal intention or effort 
— any more than one hecomes accom- 
plished or learned without personal 
exertion. One of the leading effects 
of the agency of the Holy Spirit is to 
excite us to make efforts for our own 
salvation ; and there is no true piety 
which is not the fair result of culture, 
as really as the learning of a Porson 
or a Parr, or the harvest of the farmer. 
The amount of effort which we make 

* in purifying our souls' is usually also 
the measure of our attainments in re- 
ligion. No one can expect to have 
any true piety beyond the amount of 
effort which he makes to be conformed 
to God, any more than one can expect 
wealth, or fame, or learning, without 
exertion. *ftln obeying the truth. That 
is, your yielding to the requirements 
of truth, and to its fair influence on 
your minds, has been the means of 
your becoming pure. The truth here 
referred to is, undoubtedly, that which 
is revealed in the gospel — the great 
system of truth respecting the redemp- 
tion of the world. IT Through the 
Spirit. By the agency of the Holy 
Spirit. It is his office to apply truth to 
the mind ; and however precious the 
truth may be, and however adapted to 
secure certain results on the soul, it 
will never produce those effects with- 
out the influences of the Holy Spirit. 
Comp. Titus iii. 5, 6. Notes on John 
iii. 5. IT Unto unfeigned love of the 
brethren. The effect of the influence 
of the Holy Spirit in applying the 
truth has been to produce sincere love 
to all who are true Christians. Comp. | 



feigned love b of the brethren, 
see that ye love one another with 
a pure heart fervently : 

b 1 Jno. 3. 14, 18. 

Notes on John xiii. 34. 1 Thess. iv. 9. 
See also 1 John iii. 14—18. IT See 
that ye love one another with pure 
heart fervently. Comp. Notes on Heh. 
xiii. 1. John xiii. 34, 35. Eph. v. 2. 
The phrase < with pure heart fervently/ 
means (1.) that it should be genuine 
love, proceeding from a heart in which 
there is no guile or hypocrisy ; and (2.) 
that it should be intense affection 
(ixtsvuf) ; not cold and formal, but 
ardent and strong. If there is any 
reason why we should love true Chris- 
tians at all, there is the same reason 
why our attachment to them should be 
intense. This verse establishes the 
following points : (1.) That truth was 
at the foundation of their piety. They 
had none of which this was not the 
proper basis; and in which the foun- 
dation was not as broad as the super- 
structure. There is no religion in the 
world which is not the fair development 
of truth ; which the truth is not fitted 
to produce. (2.) They became Chris- 
tians as the result of obeying the truth ; 
or by yielding to its fair infSuence on 
the soul. Their own minds complied 
with its claims ; their own hearts 
yielded ; there was the exercise of their 
own volitions. This expresses a doc- 
trine of great importance, (a) There 
is always the exercise of the powers 
of the mind in true religion ; always a 
yielding to truth; always a voluntary 
reception of it into the soul. (Jf) Re- 
ligion is always of the nature of obedi- 
ence. It consists in yielding to what 
is true and right; in laying aside the 
feelings of opposition, and in allowing 
the mind to follow where truth and 
duty lead, (c) This would always 
take place when the truth is presented 
to the mind, if there were no voluntary 
resistance. If all men were ready to 
yield to the truth, they would become 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER I. 



149 



23 Being born a again, not of 
corruptible seed, but of incor- 

a Jno. 1. 13. 

Christians. The only reason why all 
men do not love and serve God is, that 
they refuse to yield to what they know 
to be true and right. (3.) The agency 
by which this was accomplished was 
that of the Holy Ghost. Truth is 
adapted in itself to a certain end or 
result, as seed is adapted to produce a 
harvest. But it will no more of itself 
produce its appropriate effects on the 
soul, than seed will produce a harvest 
without rains, and dews, and suns. In 
all cases, therefore, the proper effect of 
truth on the soul is to be traced to the 
influence of the Holy Spirit, as the 
germination of the seed in the earth is 
to the foreign cause that acts on it. 
No man was ever converted by the 
mere effect of truth without the agency 
of the Holy Ghost, any more than seed 
germinates when laid on a hard rock. 
(4.) The effect of this influence of the 
Holy Spirit in applying the truth is to 
produce love to all who are Christians. 
Love to Christian brethren springs- up 
in the soul of every one who is truly 
converted ; and this love is just as cer- 
tain evidence that the seed of truth has 
germinated in the soul, as the green 
and delicate blade that peeps up through 
the earth is evidence that the seed 
sown has been quickened into life. 
Comp. Notes on 1 Thess. iv. 9. 1 John 
iii. 14. We may learn hence (<z) That 
truth is of inestimable value. It is as 
valuable as religion itself, for all the 
religion in the world is the result of it. 
(6) Error and falsehood are mischiev- 
ous and evil in the same degree. There 
is no true religion which is the fair 
result of error ; and all the pretended 
religion that is sustained by error is 
worthless, (c) If a system of religion, 
or a religious measure or doctrine, can- 
not be defended by truth, it should be 
at once abandoned, Comp. Notes on 
13* 



ruptible, by the word * of God, 
which liveth and abideth for ever. 

b Ja. 1. 18. 

Job xiii. 7. (d) We should avoid the 
places where error is taught. Prov. 
xix. 27. " Cease, my son, to hear the 
instruction that causeth to err from the 
words of knowledge." Prov. xix. 27. 
(e) We should place ourselves under 
the teachings of truth, for there is truth 
enough in the world to occupy all our 
time and attention ; and it is only by 
truth that our minds can be benefited. 

23. Being born again. See Notes 
on John iii. 3. H Not of corruptible 
seed. " Not by virtue of any descent 
from human parents." Doddridge. 
The result of such a birth, or of being 
begotten in this way — for so the word 
rendered born again more properly 
signifies — is only corruption and decay. 
We are begotten only to die. There 
is no permanent, enduring life produced 
by that. It is in this sense that this is 
spoken of as * corruptible seed/ because 
it results in decay and death. The 
word here rendered seed (tfjtopa) occurs 
nowhere else in the New Testament. 
IT But of incorruptible. By truth, 
communicating a living principle to 
the soul which can never decay. Comp. 
1 John iii. 9. « His seed remaineth in 
him ; and he cannot sin, because he is 
born of God." IT By the word of God. 
See Notes on James i. 18. "Of his 
own will begat he us with the word of 
truth, that we should be a kind of first- 
fruits of his creatures." Comp. Notes 
on John i. 13. It is the uniform doc- 
trine of the scriptures that divine truth 
is made the instrument of quickening 
the soul into spiritual life. % Which 
liveth and abideth for ever. This ex- 
pression may either refer to God, as 
living for ever, or to the word of God, 
as being for ever true. Critics are about 
equally divided in the interpretation* 
The Greek will bear either construc- 
tion. Most of the recent critics incline 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 60. 



24 1 For ° all flesh is as grass, 
and all the glory of man as the 

1 or, For that. a Is. 40. 6-8. 

to the latter opinion — that it refers to 
the word of God, or to his doctrine. 
So Rosenmuller, Doddridge, Bloom- 
field, Wolf, Macknight, Clarke. It 
seems to me, however, that the more 
natural construction of the Greek is to 
refer it to God, as ever-living or en- 
during; and this interpretation agrees 
well with the connection. The idea 
then is, that as God is ever-living, that 
which is produced directly by him in 
the human soul by the instrumentality 
of truth, may be expected also to en- 
dure for ever. It will not be like the 
offspring of human parents, themselves 
mortal, liable to early and certain de- 
cay, but may be expected to be as en- 
during as its ever-living Creator. 

24. For all flesh is as grass. That 
is, all human beings; all men. The 
connection here is this: The apostle, 
in the previous verse, had been con- 
trasting that which is begotten by man 
with that which is begotten by God, in 
reference to its permanency. The for- 
mer was corruptible and decaying ; the 
latter abiding. The latter was pro- 
duced by God who lives for ever ; the 
former by the agency of man, who is 
himself corruptible and dying. It was 
not unnatural, then, to dwell upon the 
feeble, frail, decaying nature of man in 
contrast with God ; and the apostle, 
therefore, says that « all flesh, every 
human being, is like grass. There is 
no stability in any thing that man does 
or produces. He himself resembles 
grass that soon fades and withers ; but 
God and his word endure for ever the 
same.' The comparison of a human 
being with grass, or with flowers, is 
very beautiful, and is quite common in 
the Scriptures. The comparison turns 
on the fact that the grass or the flower, 
however green or beautiful it may be, 
«^on loses its freshness ; is withered ; 



flower of grass. The grass with- 
ereth, and the flower thereof fall- 
eth away : 



is cut down and dies. Thus in Psalm 
ciii. 15, 16: 

" As for man, his days are as grass ; 
As a flower of the field, so he flourished ; 
For the wind passeth over it and it is gone, 
And the place thereof shall know it no 
more." 

So in Isaiah xl. 6 — 8 ; a passage which 
is evidently referred to by Peter in this 
place : 

" The voice said, Cry. 
And he said, What shall 1 cry ? 
All flesh is grass, 

And all the goodliness thereof is as the 

flower of the field. 
The grass withereth, 
The flower fadeth, 

When the wind of Jehovah blowetb 

upon it: 
Surely the people is grass, 
The grass withereth, 
The flower fadeth, 

But the word of our God shall stand 
for ever." 

See also James i. 10, 11. This senti- 
ment is beautifully imitated by the 
great dramatist in the speech of Wol- 
sey 

" This is the state of man ; to-day he puts 
forth 

The tender leaves of hope, to-morrow 

blossoms, 

And bears his blushing honours thick upon 
him. 

The third day comes a frost, a killing 
frost ; 

And — when he thinks, good easy man, full 
surely 

His greatness is a ripening — nips his root. 
And then he falls." 

Comp. Notes on Isa. xl. 6 — 8. IF And 
all the glory of man. All that man 
prides himself on — his wealth, rank, 
talents, beauty, learning, splendour of 
equipage or apparel. H As the flower 
of grass. The word rendered 'grass,' 
(#opT'o$) properly denotes herbage, that 
which furnishes food for animals — pas- 
ture, hay. Probably the prophet Isaiah, 
from whom this passage is taken, re- 
ferred rather to the appearance of a 
meadow or a field, with mingled grass 
and flowers, constituting a beautiful 



\. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER I. 



151 



25 But the word of the Lord 
endureth for ever. And this a is 

a Jao. i. 1, 14. 2 Pe. 1. 19. 

landscape, than to mere grass. In such 
a field, the grass soon withers with 
heat, and with the approach of winter ; 
and the flowers soon fade and fall. 
IT The grass withereth, and the Jlovjer 
thereof falleth away* This is repeated, 
as is common in the Hebrew writings, 
for the sake of emphasis, or strong 
confirmation. 

25. But the word of the Lord. In 
Isaiah (xl. 8), « the word of our God/ 
The sense is not materially varied. 
^ Endureth for ever. Is unmoved, 
fixed, permanent. Amidst all the revo- 
lutions on earth, the fading glories of 
natural objects, and the wasting strength 
of man, his truth remains unaffected. 
Its beauty never fades; its power is 
never enfeebled. The gospel system 
is as lovely now as it was when it was 
first revealed to man, and it has as 
much power to save as it had when 
first applied to a human heart. We 
see the grass wither at the coming on 
of autumn ; we see the flower of the 
field decay ; we see man, though con- 
fident in his strength, and rejoicing 
in the vigour of his frame, cut down 
in an instant; we see cities decline, 
and kingdoms lose their power: but the 
word of God is the same now that it 
was at first, and amidst all the changes 
which may ever occur on the earth that 
will remain the same, And this is 
ihe word which by the gospel is 
preached unto you. That is, this 
gospel is the 4 word' which was referred 
to by Isaiah in the passage which has 
been quoted. — In view, then, of the 
affecting truth stated in the close of 
this chapter (vs. 24, 25), let us learn 
habitually to reflect on our feebleness 
and frailty. " We all do fade as a 
leaf." Isa. lxiv. 6. Our glory is like 
the flower of the field. Our beauty 
fades, and our strength disappears, as 
easily as the beauty and vigour of the 



the word which by the gospel is 
preached unto you. 



flower that grows up in the morning 
and that in the evening is cut down. 
Ps. xc. 6. The rose that blossoms on 
the cheek of youth may wither as soon 
as any other rose; the brightness of 
the eye may become dim as readily as 
the beauty of a field covered with 
flowers; the darkness of death may 
come over the brow of manliness and 
intelligence as readily as night settles 
down on the landscape ; and our robes 
of adorning may be laid aside as soon 
as beauty fades in a meadow full of 
flowers before the scythe of the mower. 
There is not an object of natural beauty 
on which we pride ourselves that will 
not decay ; and soon all our pride and 
pomp will be laid low in the tomb. It 
is sad to look on a beautiful lily, a rose, 
a magnolia, and to think how soon all 
that beauty will disappear. It is more 
sad to look on a rosy cheek, a bright 
eye, a lovely form, an expressive brow, 
an open, serene, intelligent counte- 
nance, and to think how soon all that 
beauty and brilliancy will fade away. 
But amidst these changes which beauty 
undergoes, and the desolations which 
disease and death spread over the 
world, it is cheering to think that all 
is not so. There is that which does 
not change, which never loses its 
beauty. 'The word of the Lord* 
abides. His cheering promises, his as- 
surances that there is a brighter and 
better world, remain amidst all these 
changes the same. The traits which 
are drawn on the character by the reli- 
gion of Christ, more lovely by far than 
the most delicate colouring of the lily, 
remain for ever. There they abide, 
augmenting in loveliness, when the 
rose fades from the cheek; when the 
brilliancy departs from the eye ; when 
the body moulders away in the sepul- 
chre. The beauty of religion is the 
only permanent beauty in the earth • 



152 



I. PETER. 



[A.D. 60 



CHAPTER II. 

WHEREFORE laying aside 
a all malice, and all guile, 

and he that has that, need not regret 
that that which in this mortal frame 
charms the eye, shall fade away like 
the flower of the field. 

CHAPTER II. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter may be divided into 
three parts. 

I. An exhortation to those whom 
the apostle addressed, to lay aside all 
malice, and all guile, and to receive 
the simple and plain instructions of the 
word of God with the earnestness with 
which babes desire their appropriate 
food. vs. 1 — 3. Religion reproduces 
the traits of character of children in 
those whom it influences, and they 
ought to regard themselves as new-born 
babes, and seek that kind of spiritual 
nutriment which is adapted to their 
condition as such. 

II. The privileges which they had 
obtained by becoming Christians, while 
so many others had stumbled at the 
very truths by which they had been 
saved, vs. 4 — 10. (a) They had come 
to the Saviour, as the living stone on 
which the whole spiritual temple was 
founded, though others had rejected 
him ; they had become a holy priest- 
hood; they had been admitted to Jhe 
privilege of offering true sacrifices, ac- 
ceptable to God. vs. 4, 5. (b) To them 
Christ was precious as the chief corner- 
stone on which all their hopes rested, 
and on which the edifice that was to 
be reared was safe, though that founda- 
tion of the Christian hope had been 
rejected and disallowed by others, vs. 
6 — 8. (c) They were now a chosen 
people, an holy nation, appointed to 
show forth on earth the praises of God, 
though formerly they were not regarded 
as the people of God, and were not 
within the range of the methods by 



and hypocrisies, and envies, and 
all evil speakings, 

a Ep. 4. 22, 31. 

which he was accustomed to show 
mercy, vs. 9, 10. 

III. Various duties growing out of 
these privileges, and out of the various 
relations which they sustained in life, 
vs. 11—25. (a) The duty of living 
as strangers and pilgrims ; of abstain- 
ing from all those fleshly lusts which 
war against the soul, and of leading 
lives of entire honesty in relation to 
the Gentiles, by whom they were sur- 
rounded, vs. 11, 12. (b) The duty 
of submitting to civil rulers, vs. 13 — 
17. (c) The duty of servants to sub- 
mit to their masters, though their con- 
dition was a hard one in life, and they 
were often called to suffer wrongfully, 
vs. 18—20. (d) This duty was en- 
forced on servants, and on all, from the 
example of Christ, who was more 
wronged than any others can be, and 
who yet bore all his sufferings with 
entire patience, leaving us an example 
that we should follow in his steps, vs. 
21—25. 

1. Wherefore laying aside. On the 
word rendered laying aside, see Rom. 
xiii. 12. Eph. iv. 22, 25. Col. iii. 8. 
The allusion is to putting off clothes, 
and the meaning is, that we are to cast 
off these things entirely ; that is, we 
are no longer to practise them. The 
word wherefore (&vv) refers to the 
reasonings in the first chapter. In view 
of the considerations stated there, we 
should renounce all evil. IT All malice* 
All evil (xaxlajv)* The word malice 
we commonly apply now to a particular 
kind of evil, denoting extreme enmity 
of heart, ill-will, a disposition to injuro 
others without cause from mere per- 
sonal gratification, or from a spirit of 
revenge. Webster, The Greek word, 
however, includes evil of all kinds 
See Notes on Ram. i. 29. Comp. Acts 
viii. 22, where it is rendered wicked* 



A. D. 60.1 CHAPTER II 

2 As new-born babes/ desire 



153 



a Mat. 18. 3. 



b 1 Co. 3. 2. 



ness, and 1 Cor. v. 8 ; xiv. 20. Eph. 
iv. 31. Col. iii. 8. Titus iii. 3. IT And 
all guile. Deceit of all kinds. Notes 
on Rom. i. 29. 2 Cor.xii. 16. 1 Thess. 
it. 3. H And hypocrisies. Notes on 
1 Tim. iv. 2. Matt, xxiii. 28. Gal. ii. 
13, on the word rendered dissimulation. 
The word means feigning to be what 
we are not ; assuming a false appear- 
ance of religion ; cloking a wicked 
purpose under the appearance of piety. 
11" And envies. Hatred of others on 
account of some excellency which they 
have, or something which they possess 
which we do not. See Notes on Rom. 
i. 29. 1T And all evil speaking. Gr. 
Speaking against others. This word 
(xa^aXa?ua) occurs only here and in 2 
Cor. xii. 20, where it is rendered back- 
bitings. It would include all unkind 
or slanderous speaking against others. 
This is by no means an uncommon 
fault in the world, and it is one of the 
designs of religion to guard against 
it. Religion teaches us to lay aside 
whatever guile, insincerity, and false 
appearances we may have acquired, 
and to put on the simple honesty and 
openness of children. We all acquire 
more or less of guile and insincerity in 
the course of life. We learn to con- 
ceal our sentiments and feelings, and 
almost unconsciously come to appear 
different from what we really are. It 
is not so with children. In the child 
every emotion of the bosom appears as 
it is. Nature there works well and 
beautifully, Every emotion is ex- 
pressed ; every feeling of the heart is 
developed ; and in the cheeks, the open 
eye, the joyous or sad countenance, we 
Know all that there is in the bosom, as 
certainly as we know all that there is 
in the rose by its colour and its fra- 
grance. Now, it is one of the pur- 
poses of religion to bring us back to 
this state, and to strip off all the sub- 
terfuges which we may have acquired 



the sincere milk 1 of the word, 
that ye may grow thereby: 



in life ; and he in whom this effect is 
not accomplished has never been con- 
verted. A man that is characteristically 
deceitful, cunning and crafty, cannot be 
a Christian. " Except ye be converted, 
and become as little children, ye shall 
not enter into the kingdom of heaven." 
Matt, xviii. 3. 

2. As new-born babes. The phrase 
here used would properly denote those 
which were just born, and hence Chris- 
tians who had just begun the spiritual 
life. See the word explained in the 
Notes on 2 Tim. iii. 15. It is not un- 
common, in the Scriptures, to compare 
Christians with little children. See 
Notes, Matt, xviii. 3, for the reasons of 
this comparison. Comp. Notes, 1 Cor. 
iii. 2. Heb. v. 12, 14. If Desire the 
sincere milk of the word. The pure 
milk of the word. On the meaning of 
the word sincere, see Notes, Eph. vi, 
24. The Greek word here (aSo&oi/) 
means properly that which is without 
guile or falsehood ; then unadulterated, 
pure, genuine. The Greek adjective 
rendered « of the word' (?ioy«c6»/), means 
properly rational, pertaining to reason, 
or mind ; and, in the connection hero 
with milk, means that which is adapted 
to sustain the soul. Comp. Note?), 
Rom. xii. 1. There is no doubt that 
there is allusion to the gospel in its 
purest and most simple form, as adapted 
to be the nutriment of the new-born 
soul. Probably there are two ideas 
here ; one, that the proper aliment ol 
piety is simple truth; the other, that 
the truths which they were to desire 
were the more elementary truths of the 
gospel, such as would be adapted to 
those who were babes in knowledge. 
It That ye may grow thereby. As babes 
grow on their proper nutriment. Piety 
in the heart is susceptible of growth, 
and is made to grow by its proper ali- 
ment, as a plant or a child is, and will 
grow in proportion as it has the prope* 



154 



I. PETER. 



LA. D. (30. 



3 If so be ye have tasted * 
that the Lord is gracious. 

a Ps. 34. 8. 

kind of nutriment. From this verse 
we may see, (1.) The reason of the 
injunction of the Saviour to Peter, to 
« feed his lambs.' John xxi. 15. vs. 1,2. 
Young Christians strongly resemble 
children — babes ; and they need watch- 
ful care, and kind attention, and appro- 
priate aliment, as much as new-born 
infants do. Piety receives its form 
much from its commencement ; and 
the character of the whole Christian 
life will be determined in a great degree 
by the views entertained at first, and 
the kind of instruction which is given 
to those who are just entering on their 
Christian course. We may also see, 
(2.) That it furnishes evidence of con- 
version, if we have a love for the sim- 
ple and pure truths of the gospel. It 
is evidence that we have spiritual life, 
as really as the desire of appropriate 
nourishment is evidence that an infant 
has natural life. The new-born soul 
loves the truth. It is nourished by it. 
It perishes without it. The gospel is 
just what it wants ; and without that 
it could not live. We may also learn 
from this verse, (3.) That the truths of 
the gospel which are best adapted to 
that state are those which are simple 
and plain. Comp. Heb. v. 12, 13, 14. 
It is not philosophy that is needed then ; 
it is not the profound and difficult doc- 
trines of the gospel ; it is those element- 
ary truths which lie at the foundation 
of all religion, and which can be com- 
prehended by children. Religion makes 
every one docile and humble as a child ; 
and whatever may be the age at which 
one is converted, or whatever attain- 
ments he may have made in science, 
he relishes the same truths which are 
loved by the youngest and most un- 
lettered child that is brought into the 
kingdom of God. 

3. If so be ye have tasted thai (he 
l<ord is gracious. Or rather, as Dod- 



4 To whom coming, as vnto 
a living stone, disallowed * in- 

b Ps. 118. 22. 

dridge renders it, "Since you have tasted 
that the Lord is gracious." The apos- 
tle did not mean to express any doubt 
on the subject, but to state that, since 
they had had an experimental acquaint- 
ance with the grace of God, they should 
desire to increase more and more in the 
knowledge and love of him. On the 
use of the word taste, see Notes on 
Heb. vi. 4. 

4. To whom coming. To the Lord 
Jesus, for so the word 1 Lord' is to be 
understood in ver. 3. Comp. Notes 
on Acts i. 24. The idea here is, that 
they had come to him for salvation, 
while the great mass of men rejected 
him. Others disallowed' him, and 
turned away from him, but they had 
seen that he was the one chosen or 
appointed of God, and had come to him 
in order to be saved. Salvation is often 
represented as coming to Christ. See 
Matt. xi. 28. IT As unto a living stone. 
The allusion in this passage is to Isa. 
xxviii. 16. "Behold I lay in Zion for 
a foundation, a stone, a tried stone, a 
precious corner-stone, a sure founda- 
tion ; he that believeth shall not make 
haste." See Notes on that passage. 
There may be also possibly an allusion 
to Ps. cxviii. 22. "The stone which 
the builders disallowed, is become the 
head-stone of the corner." The refer- 
ence is to Christ as the foundation on 
which the church is reared. He oc- 
cupied the same place in regard to 
the church which a foundation-stone 
does to the edifice that is reared upon 
it. Comp. Matt. vii. 24, 25. Se« Notes 
on Rom. ix. 33, and Eph. ii. 20—22 
The phrase ( living stone' is howevei 
unusual, and is not found, I think, ex- 
cept in this place. There seems to be 
an incongruity in it, in attributing life 
to a stone, yet the meaning is not diffi- 
cult to be understood. The purpose 
was not to speak of a temple, like thai 



Y. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



155 



deed of men, but chosen of God, 
and precious. 

at Jerusalem, made up of gold and 
costly stones ; but of a temple made up 
of living materials — of redeemed men 
— in which God now resides. In 
speaking of that, it was natural to refer 
to the foundation on which the whole 
rested, and to speak of that as corre- 
sponding to the whole edifice. It was 
all a living temple — a temple composed 
of living materials — from the founda- 
tion to the top. Compare the expression 
in John iv. 10, " He would have given 
thee living water," that is, water 
which would have imparted life to the 
soul. So Christ imparts life to the 
whole spiritual temple that is reared 
on him as a foundation. IT Disallowed 
indeed of men. Rejected by them, 
first by the Jews, in causing him to be 
put to death ; and then by all men 
when he is offered to them as their 
Saviour. See Notes, Isa. liii. 3. Ps. 
cxviii. 22. " Which the builders re- 
fused." Comp. Notes, Matt. xxi. 42. 
Acts iv. 11. IT But chosen of God, 
Selected bv him as the suitable foun- 
dation on which to rear his church. 
% And precious. Valuable. The uni- 
verse had nothing more valuable on 
which to rear the spiritual temple. 

5. Ye also as lively stones, Gr. 
s living stones.' The word should 
have been so rendered. The word 
lively with us now has a different 
meaning from living, and denotes act- 
ive, quick, sprightly. The Greek 
word is the same as that used in the 
previous verse, and rendered living. 
The meaning is, that the materials of 
which the temple here referred to 
„ was composed were living materials 
throughout. The foundation is a living 
foundation, and ail the superstructure 
is composed of living materials. The 
purpose of the apostle here is to com- 
pare the church to a beautiful temple — 
such as the temple in Jerusalem, and 
to show that it is complete in all its 



5 Ye also, as lively stones, J 

i or, be ye. 

parts, as that was. It has within itself 
what corresponds with every thing that 
was valuable in that. It is a beautiful 
structure like that, and as in that there 
was a priesthood, and there were real 
and acceptable sacrifices offered, so it 
is in the Christian church. The Jews 
prided themselves much on their tem- 
ple. It was a most costly and splendid 
edifice. It was the place where God 
was worshipped, and where he was 
supposed to dwell. It had an imposing 
service, and there was acceptable wor- 
ship rendered there. As a new dis- 
pensation was introduced ; as the ten- 
dency of the Christian system was to 
draw off the worshippers from that 
temple, and to teach them that God 
could be worshipped as acceptably else- 
where as at Jerusalem (John iv. 21 — 
23) ; as Christianity did not inculcate 
the necessity of rearing splendid ten> 
pies for the worship of God ; and as in 
fact the temple at Jerusalem was about 
to be destroyed for ever, it was import- 
ant to show that in the Christian church 
there might be found all that was truly 
beautiful and valuable in the temple 
at Jerusalem ; that it had what corre- 
sponded to what was in fact most pre- 
cious there, and that there was still a 
most magnificent and beautiful temple 
on the earth. Hence the sacred writers 
labour to show that all was found in 
the church that had made the temple 
at Jerusalem so glorious, and that the 
great design contemplated hy the erec- 
tion of that splendid edifice — the main- 
tenance of the worship of God — was 
now accomplished in a more glorious 
manner than even in the services of 
that house. For there was a temple, 
made up of living materials, which was 
still the peculiar dwelling-place of God 
on the earth. In that temple there 
was a holy priesthood — for every Chris- 
tian was a priest. In that temple there 
were sacrifices offered, as acceptable to 



156 I. PI 

are built up a spiritual house, ° 

a He. 3. 6. 

God as in the former — for they were 
spiritual sacrifices, offered continually. 
These thoughts were often dwelt upon 
by the apostle Paul, and are here il- 
lustrated by Peter, evidently with the 
same design, to impart consolation to 
those who had never been permitted to 
worship at the temple in Jerusalem, 
and to comfort those Jews, now con- 
verted to Chrislianity, who saw that 
that splendid and glorious edifice was 
about to be destroyed. The peculiar 
abode of God on the earth was now 
removed from that temple to the Chris- 
tian church. The first aspect in which 
this is illustrated here is, that the tem- 
ple of God was made up of "living 
stones;" that is, that the materials 
were not inanimate stones, but endued 
with life, and so much more valuable 
than those employed in the temple at 
Jerusalem, as the soul is more precious 
than any materials of stone. There 
were living beings which composed 
that temple, constituting a more beau- 
tiful structure, and a more appropriate 
dwelling-place for God, than any edi- 
fice could be made of stone, however 
costly or valuable. 1T A spiritual house. 
A spiritual temple, not made of perish- 
able materials, like that at Jerusalem ; 
not composed of matter, as that was, 
but made up of redeemed souls — a 
temple more appropriate to be the re- 
sidence of one who is a pure spirit. 
Comp. Notes on Eph. ii. 19 — 22, and 
1 Cor. vi. 19, 20. IT An holy priest- 
hood. In the temple at Jerusalem, the 
priesthood appointed to minister there, 
and to offer sacrifices, constituted an 
essential part of the arrangement. It 
was important, therefore, to show that 
this was not overlooked in the spiritual 
temple that God was raising. Accord- 
ingly, the apostle says, that this is 
amply provided for, by constituting the 
whole body of Christians to be in fact 
ft priesthood. Every one is engaged 



ITER. [A, D. 60 

an holy priesthood, * to offer up 

6 Is. 61. 6. Re. 1.6. 

in offering acceptable sacrifice to God. 
The business is not entrusted to a par- 
ticular class to be known as priests ; 
there is not a particular portion to 
whom the name is* to be peculiarly 
given, but every Christian is in fact a 
priest, and is engaged in offering an 
acceptable sacrifice to God. See Rom. 
i. 6. "And hath made us kings and 
priests unto God." The Great High 
Priest in this service is the Lord Jesu3 
Christ (see the Epistle to the Hebrews, 
passim}, but besides him there is no 
one who sustains this office except as 
it is borne by all the Christian mem- 
bers. There are ministers, elders, pas- 
tors, evangelists, in the church ; but 
there is no one who is a priest, except 
in the general sense that all are priests 
— for the great sacrifice has been offered, 
and there is no expiation now to be 
made. The name priest, therefore, 
should never be conferred on a minis- 
ter of the gospel. It is never so given 
in the New Testament, and there was 
a reason why it should not be. The 
proper idea of a priest is one who offers 
sacrifice ; but the ministers of the New 
Testament have no sacrifices to offer— 
the one great and perfect oblation for 
the sins of the world having been 
made by the Redeemer on the cross. 
To him, and him alone, under the New 
Testament dispensation should the 
name priest be given, as it is uniformly 
in the New Testament, except in the 
general sense in which it is given to 
all Christians. In the Roman Catholic 
communion it is consistent to give the 
name priest to a minister of the gospel, 
but it is vjrong to do it. It is consist* 
ent, because they claim that a true sa- 
crifice of the body and blood of Christ 
is offered in the mass. It is ivrong, 
because that doctrine is wholly contrary 
to the New Testament, and is deroga- 
tory to the one perfect oblation which 
has been once made for the sins of the 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER H. 



157 



spiritual a sacrifices, acceptable I 
to God by Je-sus Christ. 

6 Wherefore also it is con- 
tained in the Scripture, ^Behold, 
I lay in Sion a chief corner-stone, 

a Mai. 1. 11. b Is. 23.16. 



world, and is conferring on a class of 
men a degree of importance and of 
oower to which they have no claim, 
^nd which is so liable to abuse. But 
in a Protestant church it is neither 
consistent nor right to give the name 
to a minister of religion. The only 
sense in which the term can now be 
used in the Christian church is a sense 
in which it is applicable to all Chris- 
tians alike — that they " offer the sacri- 
fice of prayer and praise." H To offer 
up spiritual sacrifices. Not bloody 
offerings, the blood of lambs and bul- 
locks, but those which are the offerings 
of the heart — the sacrifices of prayer 
and praise. As there is a priest, there 
is also involved the notion of a sacri- 
fice, but that which is offered is such 
as all Christians offer to God, proceed- 
ing from the heart, and breathed forth 
from the lips, and in a holy life. It is 
called sacrifice, not because it makes 
an expiation for sin, but because it is 
of the nature of worship. Comp. Notes 
op Heb. xiii. 15 ; -x. 14. Acceptable 
to God by Jesus Christ. Comp. Notes 
on Rom. xii. 1. Through the merits 
of the great sacrifice made by the Re- 
deemer on the cross. Our prayers and 
praises are in themselves so imper- 
fect, and proceed from such polluted 
lips and hearts, that they can be ac- 
ceptable only through him as our inter- 
cessor before the throne of God. Comp. 
Notes on Heb. ix. 24, 25; x. 19—22. 

6. Wherefore also it is contained in 
the Scriptures. Isa. xxviii. 16. The 
quotation is substantially as it is found 
in the Septuagint. IT Behold, I lay in 
Sion. See Notes on Isa. xxviii. 16, 
and Rom. ix. 33. IT A chief corner- 
ttont. The principal atone on which 
14 



! elect, precious : and he that be- 
lieveth on him shall not be con- 
founded. 

7 Unto you therefore which 
believe, lie is precious : but unto 

1 an honour. 



the corner of the edifice rests. A stone 
is selected for this which is large and 
solid, and, usually, one which is squared 
and wrought with care ; and as such a 
stone is commonly laid with solemn ce- 
remonies, so, perhaps, in allusion to this, 
it is here said by God that he would 
lay this stone at the foundation. The 
solemnities attending this were those 
which accompanied the great work of 
the Redeemer. See the word explained 
in the Notes on Eph. ii. 20. tf Elect . 
Chosen of God, or selected for this pur- 
pose, ver. 4. ^ And he that believeth 
on him shall not be confounded. Shall 
not be ashamed. The Hebrew is, f shall 
.not make haste.' See ii explained in 
tne Notes on Rom. ix. 33. 

7. Unto you, therefore, which believe. 
Christians are often called simply be- 
lievers, because fa^h in the Saviour is 
one of the prominei»v characteristics by 
which they are distinguished from theii 
fellow-men. It sufficiently describes 
any man, to say that he is a believer 
in the Lord Jesus. IT He is precious. 
Marg., an honour. That is, according 
to the margin, it is an honour to believe 
on him, and should be so regarded. 
This is true, but it is very doubtful 
whether this is the idea of Peter. The 
Greek is q Iiixyi ; literally, « esteem, 
honour, respect, reverence then ■ value 
or price. 7 The noun is probably used 
in the place of the adjective, in the 
sense of honourable, valued, precious; 
and it is not incorrectly rendered in the 
text, < he is precious.' The connection 
demands this interpretation. The apos- 
tle was not showing that it was an 
honour to believe on Christ, but was 
stating the estimate which was put on 
him hy those who believe, as contrasted 



158 I. PI 

them which be disobedient, the 

with the view taken of him by the 
world. The truth which is taught is, 
that while the Lord Jesus is rejected 
by the great mass of men, he is regard- 
ed by all Christians as of inestimable 
value. (I.) Of the fact there can be 
no doubt. Somehow, Christians per- 
ceive a value in him which is seen in 
nothing else. This is evinced («) in 
their avowed estimate of him as their 
best friend ; (6) in their being willing 
so far to honour him as to commit to 
him the keeping of their souls, resting 
the whole question of their salvation 
on him alone; (c) in their readiness 
to keep his commands, and to serve 
Mm, while the mass of men disobey 
him ; and (c?) in their being willing to 
die for him. (II.) The reasons why 
he is so precious to them are such as 
these: (1.) They are brought into a 
condition where they can appreciate his 
worth. To see the value of food, we 
must be hungry ; of clothing, we must 
be exposed to the winter's blast ; of 
home, we must be wanderers without 
a dwelling-place ; of medicine, we must 
be sick; of competence, we must be 
poor. So, to see the value of the Sa- 
viour, we must see that we are poor, 
helpless, dying sinners ; that the soul 
is of inestimable worth ; that we have 
no merit of our own ; and that unless 
some one interpose, we must perish. 
Every one who becomes a true Chris- 
tian is brought to this condition ; and in 
this state he can appreciate the worth of 
the Saviour. In this respect Christians 
are unlike the condition of the rest of 
mankind, for they are in no better state 
to appreciate the worth of the Saviour 
than the man in health is to appreciate 
the value of the healing art, or than he 
who has never had a want unsupplied, 
the kindness of one who comes to us 
with an abundant supply of food. (2.) 
The Lord Jesus is in fact of more value 
to them than any other benefactor. We i 



TER. LA. D. 60. 

stone a which the builders disa!- 

a Mat. 21. 42. 

have had benefactors who have done 
us good, but none who have done us 
such good as he has. We have had 
parents, teachers, kind friends, who 
have provided for us, taught us, relieved 
us ; but all that they have done for us 
is slight, compared with what he has 
done. The fruit of their kindness, for 
the most part, pertains to the present 
world ; and they have not laid down 
their lives for us. What he has done 
pertains to our welfare to all eternity : 
it is the fruit of the sacrifice of his own 
life. How precious should the name 
and memory of one be who has laid 
down his own life to save us! (3.) We 
owe all our hopes of heaven to him ; 
and in proportion to the value of such 
a hope, he is precious to us. We have 
no hope of salvation but in him. Take 
that away, — blot out the name and the 
work of the Redeemer, and we see no 
way in which we could be saved, — we 
have no prospect of being saved. As 
our hope of heaven, therefore, is valu- 
able to us ; as it supports us in trial ; 
as it comforts us in the hour of death, 
so is the Saviour precious ; and the 
estimate which we form of him is in 
proportion to the value of such a hope. 
(4.) There is an intrinsic value and 
excellency in the character of Christ, 
apart from his relation to us, which 
makes him precious to those who can 
appreciate his worth. In his character, 
abstractly considered, there was more to 
attract, to interest, to love, than in that 
of any other one who ever lived in our 
world. There was more purity, more 
benevolence, more that was great in 
trying circumstances, more that was 
generous and self-denying, more that 
resembled God, than in any other one 
who ever appeared on earth. In the 
moral firmament, the character of Christ 
sustains a pre-eminence above all others 
who have lived, as great as the glory 
of the sun is superior to the feeble lights, 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



159 



lowed, the same is made the head 
of the corner, 

though so numerous, which glimmer at 
midnight. With such views of him, it 
is nOi to be wondered at, that, however 
he ma) be estimated by the world, 4 to 
them who believe, he is precious/ 
IT But unto them which be disobedient. 
Literally, unwilling to be persuaded 
(arises) ; that is, those who refused 
to believe ; who were obstinate or con- 
tumacious. Luke i. 17. Rom. i. 30. 
The meaning is, that to them he is 
made a stone against which they im- 
pinge, and ruin themselves. Notes, 
ver. 8. IT The stone which the builders 
disallowed* Which they rejected, or 
refused to make a corner-stone. The 
allusion here, by the word < builders,' 
is primarily to the Jews, represented 
as raising a temple of salvation, or 
building with reference to eternal life. 
They refused to lay this stone, which 
God had appointed, as the foundation 
of their hopes, but preferred some other 
foundation. See this passage explained 
in the Notes on Matt. xxi. 42. Acts 
iv. 1 1 , and Rom. ix. 33. IT The same 
is made the head of the corner. That 
is, though it is rejected by the mass of 
men, yet God has in fact made it the 
corner-stone on which the whole spirit- 
ual temple rests. Acts iv. 11, 12. 
However men may regard it, there is 
in fact no other hope of heaven than 
that which is founded on the Lord Je- 
sus. If men are not saved by him, he 
becomes to them a stone of stumbling 
and a rock of offence. 

8. And a stone of stumbling. A 
stone over which they stumble, or 
against which they impinge. The idea 
seem-s to be that of a corner-stone which 
projects from the building, against which 
they dash themselves, and by which 
they are made to fall. See Notes on 
Matt. xxi. 44. The rejection of the 
Saviour becomes the means of their 
ruin. They refuse to build on him, 
End il is as zj % one should run against J 



8 And a stone of stumbling, 
and a rock of offence, even to 

a solid projecting corner-stone of a 
house, that would certainly be the 
means of their destruction. Comp. 
Notes, Luke i. 34. An idea similar to 
this occurs in Matt. xxi. 44. " Who- 
soever shall fall on this stone shall bo 
broken." The meaning is, that if this 
foundation-stone is not the means of 
their salvation, it will be of their ruin. 
It is not a matter of indifference whe- 
ther they believe on him or not ; whe- 
ther they accept or reject him. They 
cannot reject him without the most 
fearful consequences to their souls. 
% And a rock of offence. This ex- 
presses substantially the same idea as 
the phrase, < stone of stumbling.' The 
word rendered i offence'' (axdvSa&ov) 
means properly " a trap-stick — a crook- 
ed stick on which the bait is fastened, 
which the animal strikes against, and 
so springs the trap" (Robinson, Lex.) ; 
then a trap, gin, snare ; and then any 
thing which one strikes or stumbles 
against; a stumbling-block. It then 
denotes that which is the cause or oc- 
casion of ruin. This language would 
be strictly applicable to the Jews, who 
rejected the Saviour on account of his 
humble birth, and whose rejection of 
him was made the occasion of the de- 
struction of their temple, city, and na- 
tion. But it is also applicable to all 
who reject him, from whatever cause; 
for their rejection of him will be fol- 
lowed with ruin to their souls. It is a 
crime for which God will judge them 
as certainly as he did the Jews who 
disowned him and crucified him, for 
the offence is substantially the same. 
What might have been, therefore, the 
means of their salvation, is made the 
cause of their deeper condemnation. 
IT Even to them which stumble at the 
word. To all who do this. That is, 
they take the same kind of offence at 
the gospel which the Jews did at the 
Saviour himself. It is substantially the 



160 



I. PETER. 



[A. 1). 60. 



them which stumble at the word, 

a Jude 4. 



same thing, and the consequences must 
be the same. How does the conduct 
of the man who rejects the Saviour 
now, differ from that of him who re- 
jected him when he was on the earth 1 
% Being disobedient, ver. 7. The rea- 
son why they reject him is, that they 
are not disposed to obey. They are 
solemnly commanded to believe the 
gospel ; and a refusal to do it, there- 
fore, is as really an act of disobedience 
as to break any other command of God. 
1T Whereunto they were appointed (st$ 
6 xai its^aav). The word 'where- 
unto'' means unto which. But unto 
what? It cannot be supposed that it 
means that they were 4 appointed' to 
believe on him and be saved by him, 
for (1.) this would involve all the dif- 
ficulty which is ever felt in the doctrine 
of decrees or election ; for it would then 
mean that he had eternally designated 
them to be saved, which is the doctrine 
of predestination ; and (2.) if this were 
the true interpretation, the consequence 
would follow that God had been foiled 
in his plan ; for the reference here is 
to those who would not be saved, that 
is, to those who « stumble at that stum- 
bling-stone/ and are destroyed. Calvin 
supposes that it means 'unto which re- 
jection and destruction they were de- 
signated in the purpose of God.' So 
Bloomfield renders it, " Unto which 
(disbelief) they were destined" (Cn7. 
Dig.) ; meaning, as he supposes, that 
" into this stumbling and disobedience 
they were permitted by God to fail." 
Doddridge interprets it, « to which also 
they were appointed by the righteous 
sentence of God, long before, even as 
early as in his first purpose and decree 
he ordained his Son to be the great 
Foundation of his church." Rosen- 
mulier gives substantially the same in- 
terpretation. Clemens Romanus says 
it means « that they were appointed, not 
that they should sin, but that, sinning. 



being disobedient ; whereunto 
also they were appointed. 



they should be punished. 1 See Wet- 
stein So Macknight, " To which pun- 
ishment they were appointed." Whitby 
gives the same interpretation of it, that 
because they were disobedient (refer- 
ring, as he supposes, to the Jews who 
rejected the Messiah), " they were ap- 
pointed, for the punishment of that dis- 
obedience, to fall and perish," Br. 
Clarke supposes that it means that th&y 
were prophesied of that they should 
thus fall ; or that, long before, it was 
predicted that they should thus stumble 
and fall. In reference to the meaning 
of this difficult passage, it is proper to 
observe that there is in the Greek verb 
necessarily the idea of designation, ap- 
pointment, purpose. There was some 
agency or intention by which they 
were put in that condition . some act 
of placing or appointing (the word 
T't^/it meaning to set, put, lay, lay 
down, appoint, constitute), by which 
this result was brought about. The 
fair sense, therefore, and cne from 
which we cannot escape, is, that this 
did not happen by chance or accident, 
but that there was a divine arrange- 
ment, appointment, or plan on the part 
of God in reference to this result, and 
that the result was in conformity with 
that. So it is said in Jude 4, of a simi- 
lar class of men, " For there are certain 
men crept in unawares, who were be- 
fore of old ordained to this condemna- 
tion." The facts were these : — (1.) 
That God appointed his Son to be the 
corner-stone of his church. (2.) That 
there was a portion of the world which, 
from some cause, would embrace him 
and be saved. (3.) That there was 
another portion who, it was certain, 
would not embrace him. (4.) That it 
was known that the appointment of the 
Lord Jesus as a Saviour, would be thfc 
occasion of their rejecting him, and of 
their deeper and more aggravated con- 
demnation. (5.) That the arrangement 



A.D. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



161 



9 But ye are a chosen genera- 
tion, a royal priesthood, an holy 

was nevertheless made, with the under- 
standing tha; all this would be so, and 
because it was best on the whole that 
it should be so, even though this con- 
sequence would follow. That is, it 
was better that the arrangement should 
be made for the salvation of men even 
with this result, that a part would sink 
into deeper condemnation, than that no 
arrangement should be made to save 
any. The primary and originating ar- 
rangement, therefore, did not contem- 
plate them or their destruction, but was 
made with reference to others, and not- 
withstanding they would reject him, 
and would fall. The expression where' 
unto («j 6) refers to this plan, as in- 
volving, under the circumstances, the 
result which actually followed. Their 
stumbling and falling was not a matter 
of chance, or a result which was not 
contemplated, but entered into the origi- 
nal arrangement; and the whole, there- 
fore, might be said to be in accordance 
with a wise plan and purpose. And (6.) 
it might be said in this sense, and in 
this connection, that those who would 
reject him were appointed to this stum- 
bling and falling. It was what was 
foreseen ; what entered into the general 
arrangement; what was involved in 
the purpose to save any. It was not a 
matter that was unforeseen, that the con- 
sequence of giving a Saviour would 
result in the condemnation of those 
who should crucify and reject him ; but 
the whole thing, as it actually occurred, 
entered into the divine arrangement. 
It may be added, that as in the facts in 
the case nothing wrong has been done 
by God, and no one has been deprived 
of any rights, or punished more than 
he deserves, it was not wrong in him 
to make the arrangement. It was better 
that the arrangement should be made 
as it is, even with this consequence, 
than that none at all should be made 
for human salvation. Comp. Notes on 
14* 



nation, a 1 peculiar a people ; thai 

i purchased. a De. 4. 20. 

Rom. ix. 15—18. John xii. 39, 40. 
This is just a statement, in accordance 
with what everywhere occurs in the 
Bible, that all things enter into the 
eternal plans of God ; that nothing 
happens by chance ; that there is no 
thing that was not foreseen ; and that 
the plan is such as, on the whole, God 
saw to be best and wise, and therefore 
adopted it. If there is nothing un- 
just and wrong in the actual develope- 
merit of the plan, there was nothing in 
forming it. At the same time, no man 
who disbelieves and rejects the gospel 
should take refuge in this as an excuse. 
He was 4 appointed 7 to it no otherwise 
than as it actually occurs ; and as they 
know that they are voluntary in reject- 
ing him, they cannot lay the blame of 
this on the purposes of God. They 
are not forced or compelled to do it ; 
but it was seen that this consequence 
would follow, and the plan was laid to 
send the Saviour notwithstanding. 

9. But ye are a chosen generation. 
In contradistinction from those who, 
by their disobedience, had rejected the 
Saviour as the foundation of hope. The 
people of God are often represented as 
his chosen or elected people. See Notes 
on ch. i. 2. IT A royal priesthood. See 
Notes on ver. 5. The meaning of this 
is, probably, that they " at once bore 
the dignity of kings, and the sanctity 
of priests." Doddridge. Comp. Rev. 
i. 6. " And hath made us kings and 
priests unto God." See also Isa. Ixi. 6. 
"But ye shall be named priests of the 
Lord ; men shall call you ministers of 
our God." It may be, however, that 
the word royal is used only to denote 
the dignity of the priestly office which 
they sustained, or that they constituted, 
as it were, an entire nation or kingdom 
of priests. They were a kingdom over 
which he presided, and they were all 
priests, so that it might be said they 
I were a kingdom of priests ; a kingdom 



162 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 60 



ye should show forth the 1 praises 
of him who hath called you out 

i or, virtues. 

in which ali the subjects were engaged 
in offering sacrifice to God. The ex- 
pression appears to be taken from Ex. 
xix. 6 — « And ye shall be unto me a 
kingdom of priests" — and is such lan- 
guage as one who had been educated 
as a Jew would be likely to employ to 
set forth the dignity of those whom he 
regarded as the people of God. IT An 
holy nation. This is also taken from 
Ex. xix. 6. The Hebrews were re- 
garded as a nation consecrated to God, 
and now that they were -cast off or re- 
jected for their disobedience, the same 
language was properly applied to the 
people whom God had chosen in their 
place — the Christian church. 1 A pe- 
culiar people. Comp. Notes on Titus 
ii. 14. The margin here is purchased. 
The word peculiar, in its common ac- 
ceptation now, would mean that they 
were distinguished from others, or were 
singular. The reading in the margin 
would mean that they had been bought 
or redeemed. Both these things are so, 
but neither of them expresses the exact 
sense of the original. The Greek (Xa6$ 
el$ 7tept7toiti6w) means, < a people for a 
possession that is, as pertaining to 
God. They are a people which he has 
secured as a possession, or as his own; 
a people, therefore, which belong to 
him, and to no other. In this sense 
they are peculiar as being his ; and, 
being such, it may be inferred that they 
should be peculiar in the sense of being 
unlike others in their manner of life. 
But that idea is not necessarily in the 
text. There seems to be here also an 
allusion to Ex. xix. 5. " Ye shall be 
a peculiar treasure with me (Sept. %ab$ 
rtsptovtfio$) above all people." IT That 
ye should show forth the praises of 
him. Marg. virtues. The Greek word 
(apsfjj) means properly good quality, 
excellence of any kind. It means here 
the excellencies of God — his goodness, 
his wondrous deeds, or those things 



of darkness a into his marvellous 
light : 

a Ac. 26. 18. 

which make it proper to praise him. 
This shows one great object for which 
they were redeemed. It was that they 
might proclaim the glory of God, and 
keep up the remembrance of his won 
drous deeds in the earth. This is to 
be done (a) by proper ascriptions of 
praise to him in public, family and 
social worship ; (6) by being always 
the avowed friends of God, ready ever 
to vindicate his government and ways ; 
(c) by endeavouring to make known 
his excellencies to ali those who are 
ignorant of him ; and (d) by such a 
life as shall constantly proclaim his 
praise — as the sun, the moon, the stars, 
the hills, the streams, the flowers do, 
showing what God does. The con- 
sistent life of a devoted Christian is a 
constant setting forth of the praise of 
God, showing to all that the God who 
has made him such is worthy to be 
loved. <ff Who hath called you out of 
darkness into his marvellous light. 
On the word called, see Notes on Eph. 
iv. 1. Darkness is the emblem of 
ignorance, sin, and misery, and refers 
here to their condition before their con- 
version. Light is the emblem of the 
opposite, and is a beautiful representa- 
tion of the state of those who are 
brought to the knowledge of the gospel. 
See Notes on Acts xxvi. 18. The word 
marvellous means ivonderful ; and tho 
idea is, that the light of the gospel was 
such as was unusual, or not to be found 
elsewhere, as that excites wonder or 
surprise which we are not accustomed 
to see. The primary reference here is 
undoubtedly to those who had been 
heathens, and to the great change which 
had been produced by their having been 
brought to the knowledge of the truth 
as revealed in the gospel ; and, in re- 
gard to this, no one can doubt that the 
one state deserved to be characterized 
as darkness, and the other as light. 
The contrast was as great as that 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



163 



10 Which a in time past were 
not a people, but are now the 
people of God : which had not 

a Ro. 9. 25. 

between midnight and noon-day. But 
what is here said is substantially correct 
of all who are converted, and is often 
as strikingly true of those who have 
been brought up in Christian lands as 
of those who have lived among the 
heathen. The change in conversion 
19 often so great and so rapid ; the 
views and feelings are so different be- 
fore and aftev conversion, that it seems 
like a sudden transition from midnight 
to noon. In all cases, also, of true 
conversion, though the change may 
not be so striking, or apparently so 
sudden, there is a change of which this 
may be regarded as substantially an 
accurate description. In many cases 
the convert can adopt this language in 
all its fulness, as descriptive of his own 
conversion ; in all cases of genuine 
conversion it is true that each one can 
say that he has been called from a state 
in which his mind was dark to one in 
which it is comparatively clear. 

10. Which in time past were not a 
people. That is, who formerly were 
not regarded as the people of God. 
There is an allusion here to the pas- 
sage in Hosea ii. 23. "And I will 
have mercy upon her that had not ob- 
tained mercy ; and I will say to them 
which were not my people, Thou art 
my people ; and they shall say, Thou 
art my God." It is, however, a mere 
allusion, such as one makes who uses 
the language of another to express his 
ideas, without meaning to say that 
both refer to the same subject. In 
Hosea, the passage refers evidently to 
the reception of one portion of the 
Israelites into favour after their rejec- 
tion ; in Peter, it refers mainly to those 
who had been Gentiles, and who had 
never been recognised as the people of 
God. The language of the prophet 
would exactly express his idea, and lie 



obtained mercy, but now have 
obtained mercy. 

11 Dearly beloved, I beseech 



therefore uses it without intending to 
say that this was its original applica- 
tion. See it explained in the Notes on 
Rom. ix. 25. Comp. Notes on Eph. 
ii. 11, 12. t Which had not obtained 
mercy. That is, who had been living 
unpardoned, having no knowledge of 
the way by which sinners might be 
forgiven, and no evidence that your 
sins were forgiven. They were then 
in the condition of the whole heathen 
world, and they had not then been ac- 
quainted with the glorious method by 
which God forgives iniquity. 

11. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as 
strangers and pilgrims. On the word 
rendered strangers (rtopowcoj), see 
Notes on Eph. ii. 19, where it is ren- 
dered foreigners. It means properly, 
one dwelling near, neighbouring ; then 
a by-dweller, a sojourner, one without 
the rights of citizenship, as distin- 
guished from a citizen ; and it means 
here that Christians are not properly 
citizens of this world, but that their 
citizenship is in heaven, and that they 
are here mere sojourners. Comp. Notes 
on Phil. iii. 20. " For our conversation 
[citizenship] is in heaven." On the 
word rendered pilgrims (^op fTtid^ios), 
see Notes on ch. i. 1. Heb. xi. 13. A 
pilgrim properly is one who travels to 
a distance from his own country to visit 
a holy place, or to pay his devotion to 
some holy object ; then a traveller, a 
wanderer. The meaning here is, that 
Christians have no permanent home 
on earth ; their citizenship is not here ; 
they are mere sojourners, and they are 
passing on to their eternal home in the 
heavens. They should, therefore, act 
as becomes such persons ; as sojourners 
and travellers do. They should not (a) 
regard the earth as their home ; (b) 
they should not seek to acquire perma- 
nent possessions here, as if they wer« 



164 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 60. 



ymi as strangers a and pilgrims, 
abstain from fleshly lusts, b which 
war c against the soul ; 



to remain here, but should act as tra- 
vellers do, who merely seek a tempo- 
rary lodging, without expecting perma- 
nently to reside in a place ; (c) they 
should not allow any such attachments 
to be formed, or arrangements to be 
made, as to impede their journey to 
their final home, as pilgrims seek only 
a temporary lodging, and steadily pur- 
sue their journey ; (d) even while en- 
gaged here in the necessary callings of 
life — their studies, their farming, their 
merchandize — their thoughts and affec- 
tions should be on other things. One 
in a strange land thinks much of his 
country and home; a pilgrim, much of 
the land to which he goes ; and even 
while his time and attention may be 
necessarily occupied by the arrange- 
ments needful for the journey, his 
thoughts and affections will be far 
away, (e) We should not encumber 
ourselves with much of this world's 
goods. Many professed Christians get 
so many worldly things around them, 
that it is impossible for them to make 
a journey to heaven. They burden 
themselves as no traveller would, and 
they make no progress. A traveller 
takes along as few things as possible ; 
and a staff is often all that a pilgrim 
has. We make the most rapid progress 
in our journey to our final home when 
we are least encumbered with the 
things of this world. H Abstain from 
fleshly lusfs. Such desires and pas- 
sions as the carnal appetites prompt to. 
See Notes on Gal. v. 19 — 21. A so- 
journer in a land, or a pilgrim, does not 
give himself up to the indulgence of 
sensual appetites, or to the soft plea- 
sures of the soul. All these would 
hinder his progress, and turn him off 
from his great design. Comp. Rom. 
jriii. 14. Gal. v. 24. 2 Tim. ii. 22. 



12 Having your conversation 
honest among the Gentiles : that 

a Ps. 119. 19. b Ga. 5. 16-21. 

c Ro. 8. 13. Ja. 4. 1. 

Titus ii. 12. 1 Pet. i. 14. 11 Which 
war against the soul. Comp. Notes 
on Rom. viii. 12, 13. The meaning 
is, that indulgence . in these things 
makes war against the nobler faculties 
of the soul ; against the conscience, the 
understanding, the memory, the judg- 
ment, the exercise of a pure imagina- 
tion. Comp. Notes on Gal. v. 17. 
There is not a faculty of the mind, 
however brilliant in itself, which will 
not be ultimately ruined by indulgence 
in the carnal propensities of our na- 
ture. The effect of intemperance on 
the noble faculties of the soul is well 
known ; and alas there are too many 
instances in which the light of genius, 
in those endowed with splendid gifts, 
at the bar, in the pulpit, and in the 
senate, is extinguished by it, to need a 
particular description. But there is 
one vice preeminently, which prevails 
all over the heathen world (Comp. 
Notes on Rom. i. 27 — 29), and exten- 
sively in Christian lands, which more 
than all others blunts the moral sense, 
pollutes the memory, defiles the im- 
agination, hardens the heart, and sends 
a withering influence through all th* 
faculties of the soul. 

" The soul grows clotted by contagion, 
Embodies, and embrutes, till she quite lose 
The divine property of her first being." 

Of this passion Burns beautifully and 
truly said : — 

" But oh! it hardens a? within, 
And petrifies the feeling" 

From all these passions the Christian 
pilgrim is to abstain. 

1 2. Having your conversation hon- 
est. Your conduct. Notes, Phil, L 
27. That is, lead upright and consist- 
ent lives. Comp. Notes on Phil, iv. 8. 
71 Among the Gentiles. The heather 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



165 



'whereas they speak against you 
as evil doers, they may by your 
good works, a which they shall 

by whom you are surrounded, and who 
will certainly observe your conduct. 
Notes on 1 Thess. iv. 12. "Thai ye 
may walk honestjy towards them that 
are without." Comp. Rom. xiii. 13. 

That whereas they speak against 
you as evil doers, Marg. vjherein. 
Gr. iv £ — in what ; either referring to 
time, and meaning that at the very 
time when they speak, against you in 
this manner they may be silenced by 
seeing your upright lives ; or meaning 
in respect to which; that is, that in 
respect to the very matters for which 
they reproach you they may see by 
your meek and upright conduct that 
there is really no ground for reproach. 
Wetstein adopts the former, but the 
question which is meant is not very 
important Bloomfield supposes it to 
mean inasmuch, whereas. The senti- 
ment is a correct one, whichever inter- 
pretation is adopted. It should be true 
that at the very time when the enemies 
of religion reproach us, they should see 
that we are actuated by Christian 
principles, and that in the very matter 
for which we are reproached we are 
conscientious and honest. IT They 
may, by your good works, which they 
shall behold. Gr. « Which they shall 
closely or narrowly inspect/ The 
meaning is, that upon a close and nar- 
row examination, they may see that 
you are actuated by upright principles, 
and ultimately be disposed to do you 
justice. It is to be remembered that 
the heathen were very little acquainted 
with the nature of Christianity ; and it 
is known that in the early ages they 
charged on Christians the most abomi- 
nable vices, and even accused them of 
practices at which human nature re- 
volts The meaning of Peter is, that 
while they charged these things on 
Christians, whether from ignorance or 
malice, they ought so to live as that a 



behold, glorify God in the day 
of visitation. 

i or, wherein. a Mat. 5. 16. 

more full acquaintance with them, and 
a closer inspection of their conduct, 
would disarm their prejudices, and 
show that their charges were entirely 
unfounded. The truth taught here is, 
that Gur conduct as Christians should 
be such as to bear the strictest scru- 
tiny ; such that the closest examina- 
tion will lead our enemies to the con- 
viction that we are upright and honest. 
This may be done by every Christian ; 
this his religion solemnly requires him 
to do. IT Glorify God. Honour God; 
that is, that they may be convinced by 
your conduct of the pure and holy na- 
ture of that religion which he has re- 
vealed, and be led also to love and 
worship him. See Notes on Matt, v 
16. IT In the day of visitation. Many 
different opinions have been entertained 
of the meaning of this phrase, some 
referring it to the day of judgment ; 
some to times of persecution ; some to 
the destruction of Jerusalem ; and some 
to the time when the gospel was 
preached among the Gentiles, as a pe- 
riod when God visited them with mer- 
cy. The word visitation (irtiaxoTir) , 
means the act of visiting or being visited 
for any purpose, usually with the no- 
tion of inspecting conduct, of inflicting 
punishment, or of conferring favours. 
Comp. Matt. xxv. 36, 43. Luke i. 68, 
78 ; vii. 16 ; xix. 44. In the sense of 
visiting for the purpose of punishing, 
the word is often used in the Septua- 
gint, for the Heb. Ip3 {Pakad), though 
there is no instance in which the word 
is so used in the New Testament, un- 
less it be in the verse before us. The 
« visitation here referred to is undoubt- 
edly that of God ; and the reference is 
to some time when he would make a 
< visitation' to men for some purpose, 
and when the fact that the Gentiles 
had narrowly inspected the conduct of 
Christians would lead them to honour 



166 



I. PETER. 



[A D. 60. 



13 Submit a yourselves to 
every ordinance of man for the 
Lord's sake : whether it be to 
the king, as supreme ; 

him. The only question is, to what 
visitation of that kind the apostle re- 
ferred. The prevailing use of the word 
in the New Testament would seem to 
lead us to suppose that the < visitation' 
referred to was designed to confer fa- 
vours rather than to inflict punishment, 
and indeed the word seems to have 
somewhat of a technical character, and 
to have been familiarly used by Chris- 
tians to denote God's coming to men 
to bless them ; to pour out his Spirit 
upon them ; to revive religion. This 
seems to me to be its meaning here ; 
and, if so, the sense is, that when God 
appeared among men to accompany the 
preaching of the gospel with saving 
power, the result of the observed con- 
duct of Christians would be to lead 
those around them to honour him by 
giving up their hearts to him ; that is, 
their consistent lives would be the 
means of the revival and extension of 
true religion : and is it not always so ? 
Is not the pure and holy walk of Chris- 
tians an occasion of his bending his 
footsteps down to earth to bless dying 
sinners, and to scatter spiritual bless- 
ings with a liberal hand ] Comp. Notes 
on 1 Cor. xiv. 24, 25. 

13. Submit yourselves to every ordi- 
nance of man, Gr. ' to every creation 
of man' (a^v^pcorclvvj xtucfsi)' The 
meaning is, to every institution or ap- 
pointment of man ; to wit, of those 
who are in authority, or who are ap- 
pointed to administer government. The 
laws, institutes, and appointments of 
such a government may be spoken of 
as the creation of man ; that is, as what 
man makes. Of course, what is here 
said must be understood with the limit- 
ation everywhere implied, that what is 
ordained by those in authority is not 
contrary to the law of God. See Notes 
on Acts iv. 19. On the general duty 



14 Or unto governors, as unto 
them that are sent by him for 
the punishment of evil doers, 

a Mat. 22. 21. Ito. 13. 1-7. 

here enjoined of subjection to civil au 
thority, see Notes on Rom. xiii. 1 — 7. 
t For the Lord's sake. Because he 
has required it, and has entrusted this 
power to civil rulers. Notes, Rom 
xiii. 5. Comp. Notes, Eph. vi. 7 
1 Whether it be to the king. It has 
been commonly supposed that there is 
reference here to the Roman emperor, 
who might be called king, because in 
him the supreme power resided. The 
common title of the Roman sovereign 
was, as used by the Greek writers 
(dvtoxpd?u)p), and among the Romans 
themselves, imperator (emperor}, but 
the title king was also given to the 
sovereign. John xix. 15. " We have 
no king but Cesar." Acts xvii. 7. 
" And these all do contrary to the de- 
crees of Cesar, saying that there is 
another king, one Jesus." Peter un- 
doubtedly had particular reference to 
the Roman emperors, but he uses a 
general term, which would be applica- 
ble to all in whom the supreme power 
resided, and the injunction here would 
require submission to such authority, 
by whatever name it might be called. 
The meaning is, that we are to be 
subject to that authority whether exer- 
cised by the sovereign in person, or by 
those who are appointed by him. IT As 
supreme. Not supreme in the sense 
of being superior to God, or not being 
subject to him, but in the sense of being 
over all subordinate officers. 

14. Or unto governors. Subordi- 
nate officers, appointed by the chief 
magistrate, over provinces. Perhaps 
Roman proconsuls are here particularly 
intended. IT As unto them that are 
sent by him. By the king, or the Ro* 
man emperor. They represent the 
supreme power. IT For the punish' 
tnent of evil doers. One of the leading 
ends of government. "The Roman 



A. D, 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



and for the praise of them that 
do well. 

15 For so is the will of God, 
that a with well doing ye may 
put to silence the ignorance of 
foolish men : 

governors had the power of life and 
death in such conquered provinces as 
those mentioned in ch. i. 1." Dod- 
dridge, Ulpian, the celebrated Roman 
lawyer, who flourished two hundred 
years after Christ, thus describes the 
power of the governors of the Roman 
provinces : " It is the duty of a good 
and vigilant president to see to it that 
his province be peaceable and quiet. 
And that he ought to make diligent 
search after sacrilegious persons, rob- 
bers, man-stealers, and thieves, and to 
punish every one according to their 
guilt." Again, " They who govern 
whole provinces, have the power of 
sending to the mines." And again, 
»* The presidents of provinces have the 
highest authority, next to the emperor." 
Peter has described the office of the 
Roman governors in language nearly 
resembling that of Ulpian. See Lard- 
ner's Credibility ( Works, i. 77, ed. 8vo., 
Lond. 1829). IT And for the praise 
of them that do well. Praise here 
stands opposed to punishment, and 
means commendation, applause, reward. 
That is, it is a part of their business to 
reward in a suitable manner those who 
are upright and virtuous as citizens. 
This would be by protecting their per- 
sons and property ; by defending their 
rights, and perhaps by admitting those 
to share the honours and emoluments 
of office who showed that they were 
worthy to be trusted. It is as import- 
ant a part of the functions of magis- 
tracy to protect the innocent, as it is 
to punish the wicked. 

15. For so is the will of God. That 
is, it is in accordance with the divine 
will that in this way you should put 
them to silence. ^ That with well 
doing. By a life of uprightness and 



16 As free, b and not 1 asing 
your liberty for a cloak of mali- 
ciousness, bat as the servants of 
God. 

a Tit. 2. 8. b Ga. 5. 1, 13. 

i having. 

benevolence. IT Ye may put to silence 
the ignorance of foolish men. See 
Notes on Titus ii. 8. The reference 
here is to men who brought charges 
against Christians, by accusing them 
of being inimical to the government, 
or insubordinate, or guilty of crimes. 
Such charges, it is well known, were 
often brought against them by their 
enemies in the early ages of Christian- 
ity. Peter says they were brought by 
foolish men, perhaps using the word 
foolish in the sense of evil-disposed, 
or wicked, as it is often used in the 
Bible. Yet, though there might ba 
malice at the bottom, the charges were 
really based on ignorance. They were 
not thoroughly acquainted with the 
principles of the Christian religion, and 
the way to meet those charges was to 
act in every ^ay as became good citi 
zens, and so as < to live them down/ 
One of the best ways of meeting the 
accusations of our enemies is to lead a 
life of strict integrity. It is not easy 
for the wicked to reply to this argu- 
ment. 

16. As free. That is, they were to 
consider themselves as freemen ; as hav- 
ing a right to liberty. The Jews boasted 
much of their freedom, and regarded it 
as a birth-right privilege that they were 
free. John viii. 33. They never wil- 
lingly acknowledged their subjection to 
any other power, but claimed it as an 
elementary idea of their civil constitu- 
tion that God only was their sovereign. 
They weie indeed conquered by the 
Romans, and paid tribute, but they did 
it because they were compelled to do 
it, and it was even a question much 
debated among them whether they 
should do it or not. Matt. xxii. 17 
Josephus has often referred to the facr 



168 



I. PETER. 



[A.D. 60. 



that the Jews rebelled against the Ro- 
mans under the plea that they were a 
free people, and that they were sub- 
ject only to God. This idea of essen- 
tial freedom the Jews had when they 
became Christians, and every thing in 
Christianity tended to inspire them with 
the love of liberty. They who were 
converted to the Christian faith, whe- 
ther from among the Jews or the Gen- 
tiles, were made to feel that they were 
the children of God ; that his law was 
the supreme rule of their lives ; that in 
the ultimate resort they were subject 
to him alone ; that they were redeemed, 
and that therefore the yoke of bondage 
could not be properly imposed on them ; 
that God " had made of one blood all 
nations of men, for to dwell on all the 
face of the earth'' (Acts xvii. 26); and 
that, therefore, they were on a level 
before him. The meaning here is, 
that they were not to consider them- 
selves as slaves, or to act as slaves. In 
their subjection to civil authority they 
were not to forget that they were free- 
men in the highest sense, and that lib- 
erty was an invaluable blessing. They 
had been made free by the Son of God. 
John viii. 32, 36. They were free from 
sin and condemnation. They acknow- 
ledged Christ as their supreme Head, 
and the whole spirit and tendency of 
his religion prompted to the exercise 
of freedom. They were not to submit 
to the chains of slavery ; not to allow 
their consciences to be bound, or their 
essential liberty to be interfered with ; 
nor in their subjection to the civil ma- 
gistrate were they ever to regard them- 
selves otherwise than as freemen. As 
a matter of fact Christianity has always 
been the friend and promoter of liberty. 
Its influence emancipated the slaves 
throughout the Roman empire, and all 
the civil freedom which we enjoy, and 
which there is in the world, can be 
traced to the influence of the Christian 
religion. To spread the gospel in its 
purity everywhere would be to break 
every yoke of oppression and bondage, 



and to make men everywhere free. It 
is the essential right of every man who 
is a Christian to be a freeman — to be 
free to worship God ; to read the Bible ; 
to enjoy the avails of his own labour ; 
to train up his children in the way in 
which he shall deem best ; to form his 
own plans of life, and to pursue his 
own ends, provided only that he does 
not interfere with the equal rights of 
others — and every system which pre- 
vents this, whether it be that of civil 
government, of ecclesiastical law, or of 
domestic slavery, is contrary to the re- 
ligion of the Saviour. *[[ And not using 
your liberty for a cloak of malicious- 
ness. Marg. as in Greek, having. 
Not making your freedom a mere pre- 
text under which to practice all kinds 
of evil. The word rendered malicious- 
ness (xaxla), means more than our 
word maliciousness does ; for it de- 
notes evil of any kind, or all kinds; 
the word maliciousness refers rather to 
enmity of heart, ill-will, an intention 
to injure. The apostle has reference 
to an abuse of freedom, which has often 
occurred. The pretence of those who 
have acted in this manner has been, 
that the freedom of the gospel implied 
deliverance from all kinds of restraint; 
that they were under no yoke, and 
bound by no laws; that being the chil- 
dren of God, they had a right to all 
kinds of enjoyment and indulgence ; 
that even the moral law ceased to bind 
them, and that they had a right to 
make the most of liberty in all respects. 
Hence they have given themselves up 
to all sorts of sensual indulgence, claim- 
ing exemption from the restraints of 
morality as well as of civil law, and 
sinking into the deepest abyss of vice. 
Not a few have done this who have 
professed to be Christians; and occa- 
sionally a fanatical sect now appears 
who make the freedom which they say 
Christianity confers a pretext for indul- 
gence in the most base and degrading 
vices. The apostles saw this tendency 
in human nature, and in nothing art* 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



169 



17 Honour 1 all ° men. Love* 
the brotherhood. Fear* God. 
Honour the king. d 

* or, esteem. a Ro. 12. 10. I h. 2. 3. 

they more careful than to guard against 
this abuse. IT But as the servants of 
God. Not free from all restraint; not 
at liberty to indulge in all things, but 
bound to serve God in the faithful 
obedience of his laws. Thus bound 
to obey and serve him, they could not 
be at liberty to indulge in those things 
which would be in violation of his 
laws, and which would dishonour him. 
See this sentiment explained in the 
Notes on 1 Cor. vii. 22 ; ix. 21. 

17. Honour all men. That is, show 
them the respect which is due to them 
according to their personal worth, and 
to the rank and office which they sus- 
tain. Notes, Rom. xiii. 7. IT Love the 
brotherhood. The whole fraternity of 
Christians, regarded as a band of bro- 
thers. The word here used occurs only 
in this place and in ch. v. 9, where it 
is rendered brethren. The idea ex- 
pressed here occurs often in the New 
Testament. See Notes on John xiii. 
34, 35. IT Fear God. A duty every- 
where enjoined in the Bible, as one of 
the first duties of religion. Comp. 
Lev. xxv. 17. Ps. xxiii. 18; xxiv. 7; 
xxv. 14. Prov. i. 7; iii. 13; ix. 10; 
xxiii. 17. Notes, Rom. iii. 18. 2 Cor. 
vii. I. The word fear, when used to 
express our duty to God, means that 
we are to reverence and honour him. 
Religion, in one aspect, is described as 
the fear of God ; in another, as the love 
of God ; in another, as submission to 
his will, &c. A holy veneration or 
fear is always an elementary principle 
of religion. It is the fear, not so much 
of punishment as of his disapprobation ; 
not so much the dread of suffering as 
the dread of doing wrong. IT Honour 
the king, Referring here primarily to 
the Roman sovereign, but implying that 
we are always to respect those who 
have the rule over us. See Notes on 



18 Servants/ be subject to 
your masters with all fear ; not 

&Jno. 13. 35. c Ps. 111. 10. 

d Pr. 24. 21. e Ep. 6. 5, &c. 

Rom. xiii. I — 7. The doctrine taught 
in these verses (13 — 17) is, that we are 
faithfully to perform all the relative 
duties of life. There are duties which 
we owe to ourselves, which are of im- 
portance in their place, and which we 
are by no means at liberty to neglect. 
But we also owe duties to our fellow- 
men, to our Christian brethren, and to 
those who have the rule over us ; and 
religion, while it is honoured by our 
faithful performance of our duty to our- 
selves, is more openly honoured by our 
performance of our duties to those to 
whom we sustain important relations 
in life. Many of the duties which we 
owe to ourselves are, from the nature 
of the case, hidden from public observa- 
tion. All that pertains to the exami- 
nation of the heart ; to our private de- 
votions ; to the subjugation of our evil 
passions ; to our individual communion 
with God, must be concealed from pub- 
lic view. Not so, however, with those 
duties which pertain to others. In re- 
spect to them, we are open to public 
view. The eye of the world is upon 
Us. The judgment of the world in 
regard to us is made up from their ob- 
servation of the manner in which we 
perform them. If religion fails there* 
they judge that it fails altogether ; and 
however devout we may be in private, 
if it is not seen by the world that our 
religion leads to the faithful perform- 
ance of the duties which we owe in the 
various relations of life, it will be re 
garded as of little value. 

18. Servants, be subject to, your 
masters. On the duty here enjoined, 
see Notes on Eph. vi. 5 — 9. The 
Greek word here used (olxstou,) is not 
the same which is employed in Ephe- 
sians (SoiftoO* The word here means 
properly domestics ^- those employed 
about a house, or living in the samf 



no i. pe 

only to the good and gentle, but 
also to the froward. 

house — from gIxo$, house. These per- 
sons might have been slaves, or might 
not. The word would apply to them, 
whether they were hired, or whether 
they were owned as slaves. The word 
should not and cannot be employed to 
prove that slavery existed in the 
churches to which Peter wrote, and 
still less to prove that he approved of 
slavery, or regarded it as a good insti- 
tution. The exhortation here would 
be, and still is, strictly applicable to any 
persons employed as domestics, though 
they had voluntarily hired themselves 
out to be such. It would be incumbent 
on them, while they remained in that 
condition, to perform with fidelity their 
duties as Christians, and to bear with 
Christian meekness all the wrongs 
which they might suffer from those in 
whose service they were. Those who 
are hired, and who are under a neces- 
sity of 1 going out to service' for a liv- 
ing, are not always free from hard 
usage, for there are trials incident to 
that condition of life which cannot be 
always avoided. It might be better, 
in many cases, to bear much than 
to attempt a change of situation, even 
though they were entirely at liberty to 
do so. It must be admitted, however, 
that the exhortation here will have 
more force if it is supposed that the 
reference is to slaves, and there can 
be no doubt that many of this class 
were early converted to the Christian 
faith. The word here rendered mas- 
ters (SsGitotais) is not the same which 
is used in Eph. vi. 5 (ja'pt'oe^). Nei- 
ther of these words necessarily implies 
that those who were under them were 
slaves. The word here used is appli- 
cable to the head of a family, whatever 
may be the condition of those under 
him. It is frequently applied to God, 
and to Christ; and it cannot be main- 
tained that those to whom God sustains 
the relation of b^crto'tri^ or master, are 
daves. See Luke ii. 29. Arts iv. 24. 



FER. FA. D. 60. 

19 For this is 'thank-worthy, 

1 or, thank. Lu. 6. 32. 

2 Tim. ii. 21. 2 Pet. ii, 1. Jude 4, 
Rev. vi. 10. The word, indeed, is one 
that might be applied to those who 
were owners of slaves. If that be the 
meaning here, it is not said, however, 
that those to whom it is applied were 
Christians. It is rather implied that 
they were pursuing such a course as 
was inconsistent with real piety. Those 
who were under them are represented 
as suffering grievous wrongs. !Wj 
all fear. That is, with all proper reve- 
rence and respect. Notes, Eph. vi. 5. 
IT Not only to the good and gentle, but 
also to the froward. The word ren- 
dered froward {pxo%i6{) means properly 
crooked, bent; then perverse, wicked, 
unjust, peevish. Any one who is tt 
servant or domestic is liable to be em- 
ployed in the service of such a master: 
but while the relation continues, the 
servant should perform his duty with 
fidelity, whatever may be the character 
of the master. Slaves are certainly 
liable to this ; and even those who vo- 
luntarily engage as servants to others, 
cannot always be sure that they will 
have kind employers. Though the 
terms used here do not necessarily 
imply that those to whom the apostle 
gave this direction were slaves, yet it 
may be presumed that they probably 
were, since slavery abounded through- 
out the Roman empire; but the direc- 
tions will apply to all who are engaged 
in the service of others, and are there- 
fore of permanent value. Slavery will 
sooner or later, under the influence of 
the gospel, wholly cease in the world, 
and instructions addressed to masters 
and slaves will have no permanent 
value; but it will always he true that 
there will be those employed as domes- 
tics, and it is the duty of all who are 
thus engaged to evince true fidelity and 
a Christian spirit themselves, whatever 
may be the character of their employers, 
1 9. For this is thank-worthy. Marg., 
thank. Gr*, 4 This is grace (%apt<) 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER II. 



17) 



if a man for conscience toward 
God endure grief, suffering 
wrongfully. 

Doddridge renders the expression, 'This 
is graceful indeed.' Various interpre- 
tations of this expression have been 
proposed, but the meaning evidently is, 
that it is acceptable to God (see ver. 
20, " this is acceptable to God" — #apt$ 
<apa 0fcj) ; that is, this will be regard- 
ed by him with favour. It does not 
mean that it was worthy of thanks, or 
that God would thank them for doing 
it (comp. Luke xvii. 9, 10), but that 
6uch conduct would meet with his ap- 
probation. IT If a man for conscience 
toward God. If, in the conscientious 
discharge of his duty, or if, in the en- 
durance of this wrong, he regards him- 
self as serving God. That is, if he feels 
that God, by his providence, has placed 
him in the circumstances in which he 
is, and that it is a duty which he owes 
to him to bear every trial incident to 
that condition with a submissive spirit. 
If he does this, he will evince the true 
nature of religion, and will be gracious- 
ly accepted of God. If Endure grief. 
That is, endure that which is fitted to 
produce grief or that which is wrong. 

Suffering wrongfully. Suffering in- 
jury, or where there is injustice (nda- 
%w o&'xco?). This, though a general 
remark, has particular reference to ser- 
vants, and to their duty in the relation 
which they sustain to their masters. In 
view of what is here said, we may re- 
mark, (1.) That if this has reference to 
slaves, as has been usually supposed, it 
proves that they are very liable to be 
abused ; that they have little or no se- 
curity against being wronged ; and that 
it was a special and very desirable cha- 
racteristic of those -who were in that 
condition, to be able to bear wrong 
with a proper spirit. It is impossible 
so to modify slavery that this shall not 
ne the case; for the whole system is 
one of oppression, and there can be 
nothing that shall effectually secure the 



20 For what glory is it y if, 
when ye be buffeted for your 
faults, ye shall take it patiently? 

slave from being ill-treated. (2.) Iv 
would follow from this passage, if this 
refers to slavery, that that is a very 
hard and undesirable condition of life; 
for that is a very undesirable condition 
where the principal virtue which they 
who are in it are required to exercise, 
is patience under wrongs. Such a 
condition cannot be in accordance with 
the gospel, and cannot be designed by 
God to be permanent. The relation 
of parent and child is never thus repre- 
sented. It is never said or implied in 
the Scriptures that the principal virtue 
to which children are exhorted is pa- 
tience under wrongs ; nor, in address- 
ing them, is it ever supposed that the 
most prominent thing in their condition 
is that they would need the exercise of 
such patience. (3.) It is acceptable to 
God, if we bear wrong with a proper 
spirit, from whatever quarter it may 
come. Our proper business in life is 
to do the will of God ; to evince the 
right spirit, however others may treat 
us, and to show, even under excessive 
wrong, the sustaining power and the 
excellence of true religion. Each one 
who is oppressed and wronged, there- 
fore, has an eminent opportunity to 
show* a spirit which will honour the 
gospel; and the slave and the martyr 
may do more to honour the gospel than 
if they were both permitted to enjoy 
liberty and life undisturbed. 

20. For what glory is it. What 
honour or credit would it be. IT If 
when ye be buffeted for your faults. 
That is, if you are punished when you 
deserve it. The word buffet (xoTuafylfa) 
means to strike with the fist ; and then 
to strike in any way; to maltreat. 
Matt. xxvi. 67. Mark xiv. 65. 1 Cor. 
iv. 11. 2 Cor. xii. 7. Perhaps there 
may be a reference here to the mannei 
in which servants were commonly treat 
ed, or the kind of punishment to whicl 



172 



i. petp]r. 



[A. d. mi 



but if, when ye do well, and suf- 
fer for it, ye take it patiently, 
this a is acceptable 1 with God. 
21 For even hereunto b were 

a Mat. 5. 10-12. 1 or, thank. Lu. 6. 32. 
b Mat. 16. 24. 1 Th. 3. 3, 4. 

they were exposed. They would be 
likely to be struck in sudden anger, 
either by the hand, or by any thing 
that was accessible. The word ren- 
dered t for your faults/ is sinning 
(apaptdvovtes)* That is, * if being 
guilty of an offence, or having done 
wrong.' The idea is, that if they were 
justly punished, and should take it 
patiently, there would be no credit or 
honour in it. IT Ye shall take it pa- 
tiently, < If even then you evince an 
uncomplaining spirit, and bear it with 
the utmost calmness and patience, it 
would be regarded as comparatively no 
virtue, and as entitling you to no 
honour. The feeling of all who saw 
it would be that you deserved it, and 
there would be nothing to excite their 
sympathy or compassion. The patience 
evinced might indeed be as great as in 
the other case, but there would be the 
feeling that you deserved all that you 
received, and the spirit evinced in that 
case could not be regarded as entitled 
to any particular praise. If your mas- 
ters are inflicting on you only what you 
deserve, it would be in the highest de- 
gree shameful for you to rise up against 
them, and resist them, for it would be 
only adding to the wrong which you 
had already done.' The expression 
here is doubtless to be understood com- 
paratively. The meaning is not that 
absolutely there would be no more 
credit due to one who should bear his 
punishment patiently when he had 
done wrong, than if he had met it with 
resistance and murmuring; but that 
there is very little credit in that com- 
pared with the patience which an in- 
nocent person evinces, who, from re- 
gard to the will of God, and by control 
over all the natural feelings of resent- 



ye called; because Christ also 
suffered 2 for us, leaving us an 
example, that ye should follow c 
his steps : 

2 some read, /or you. c 1 Jno. 3. IS. 
Re. 12. 11. 

ment, meekly endures wrong. This 
expresses the common feeling of our 
nature. We attribute no particular 
credit to one who submits to a just 
punishment even with a calm temper. 
We feel that it would be wrong in the 
highest degree for him to do otherwise. 
So it is when calamities are brought on 
a man on account of his sins. If it is 
seen to be the fruit of intemperance or 
crime, we do not feel that there is any 
great virtue exhibited if he bears it 
with a calm temper. But if he is over- 
whelmed with calamity when it seems 
to have no particular connection with 
his sins, or to be a punishment for any 
particular fault; if he suffers at the 
hand of man, where there is manifest 
injustice done him, and yet evinces a 
calm, submissive, and meek temper, we 
feel that in such cases there is eminent 
virtue. IT This is acceptable with God 
Marg. as in ver. 19, thank. It is that 
which is agreeable to him, or with 
which he is pleased. 

21. For even hereunto were ye 
called. Such a spirit is required by 
the very nature of your Christian vo- 
cation ; you were called into the church 
in order that you might evince it. See 
Notes on 1 Thess. iii. 3. % Because 
Christ also suffered for us, Marg. 
< Some read, for you.' The latest edi- 
tions of the Greek Testament adopt 
the reading < for you' The sense, 
however, is not essentially varied. The 
object is to hold up the example of 
Christ to those who were called to 
suffer, and to say to them that they 
should bear their trials in the same 
spirit that he evinced in his. See Notes 
on Phil. iii. 10. ^Leaving us an ex- 
ample. The apostle does not say that 
this was the only object for which 



A. 1). 60. J CHAP' 

22 Who a did no sin, neither 
was guile found in his mouth : 

Christ suffered, but that it was an ob- 
ject, and an important one. The word 
rendered example (yrtoypafiiLibv) occurs 
nowhere else in the New Testament. 
It means properly a writing copy, such 
as is set for children ; or an outline or 
skatch for a painter to fill up ; and then, 
in general, an example, a pattern for 
imitation. IT That we should walk in 
his steps. That we should follow him, 
as if we trod exactly along behind him, 
and should place our feet precisely 
where his were. The meaning is, that 
there should be the closest imitation or 
resemblance. The things in which we 
are to imitate him are specified in the 
following verses. 

22. Who did no sin. Who was in 
all respects perfectly holy. There is an 
allusion here to lsa. liii. 9; and the 
sense is, that he was entirely innocent, 
and that he suffered without having 
committed any crime. In this connec- 
tion the meaning is, that we are to be 
careful that, if we suffer, it should be 
without committing any crime. We 
should so live, as the Saviour did, as 
not to deserve to be punished, and thus 
only shall we entirely follow his ex- 
ample. It is as much our duty to live 
so as not to deserve the reproaches of 
others, as it is to bear them with pa- 
tience when we are called to suffer 
them. The first thing in regard to hard 
treatment from others, is so to live that 
there shall be no just occasion for it; 
the next is, if reproaches come upon 
us when we have not deserved them, 
to bear them as the Saviour did. If he 
suffered unjustly, we should esteem it 
to be no strange thing that we should ; 
if he bore the injuries done him with 
meekness, we should learn that it is 
possible for us to do it also ; and should 
learn also that we have not the spirit of 
his religion unless we actually do it. On 
the expression here used comp. Notes 
on lsa. liii. 9. Heb. vii. 26. IF Neither 
15* 



'ER II. 173 

23 Who, when ne was reviled, 

a Is. 53. 9. 

was guile found in his mouth. There 
was no deceit, hypocrisy, or insincerity. 
He was in all respects what he professed 
to be, and he imposed on no one by 
any false and unfounded claim. All 
this has reference to the time when the 
Saviour was put to death, and the 
sense is, that though he was condemned 
as an impostor, yet that the charge was 
wholly unfounded. As in his whole 
life before he was perfectly sincere, so 
he was eminently on that solemn oc- 
casion. 

23. Who when he was reviled, re- 
viled not again. He did not use harsh 
and opprobrious words in return for 
those which he received. (1.) He was 
reviled. He was accused of being 
a seditious man ; spoken of as a de- 
ceiver; charged with being in league 
with Beelzebub, the « prince of the 
devils;' and condemned as a blasphemer 
against God. This was done (a) by 
the great and the influential of the 
land ; (b) in the most public manner ; 
(c) with a design to alienate his friends 
from him ; (d) with most cutting and 
severe sarcasm and irony ; and (e) in 
reference to every thing that would 
most affect a man of delicate and tender 
sensibility. (2.) He did not revile those 
who had reproached him. He asked 
that justice might be done. He de- 
manded that if he had spoken evil they 
should bear witness of the evil ; but 
beyond that he did not go. He used 
no harsh language. He showed no 
anger. He calied for no revenge. He 
prayed that they might be forgiven. 
He calmly stood and bore it all, for ho 
came to endure all kinds of suffering 
in order that he might set us an ex- 
ample, and make an atonement for 
our sins. IF When he suffered, he 
threatened not. That is, when he 
suffered injustice from others, in his 
trial, and in his death, he did not 
threaten punishment. He did not call 



m 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 611 



reviled not again ; when he suf- 
fered, he threatened not; but 

1 or, his cause. a Lu. 23. 46. 

down the wrath of heaven. He did 
not even predict that they would be 
punished ; he expressed no wish that 
they should be. IT But committed him- 
self to him that judgeth righteously, 
Marg., his cause. The sense is much 
the same. The meaning is, that he 
committed his cause, his name, his in- 
terests, the whole case, to God. The 
meaning of the phrase < that judgeth 
righteously' here is, that God would do 
him exact justice. Though wronged 
by men, he felt assured that he would 
do right. He would rescue his name 
from these reproaches ; he would give 
him the honour in the world which he 
deserved ; and he would bring upon 
those who had wronged him all that 
was necessary in order to show his 
disapprobation of what they had done, 
and all that would be necessary to give 
the highest support to the cause of 
virtue. Comp. Luke xxiii. 46. This 
is the example which is set before us 
when we are wronged. The whole 
example embraces these points: (1.) 
We should see to it that we ourselves 
are guiltless in the matter for which 
we are reproached or accused. Before 
we fancy that we are suffering as Christ 
did, we should be sure that our lives 
are such as not to deserve reproach. 
We cannot indeed hope to be as pure 
in all things as he was ; but we may 
so live that if we are reproached and 
reviled we may be certain that it is not 
for any wrong that we have done to 
others, or that we do not deserve it from 
our fellow-men. (2.) When we are 
reproached and reviled we should feel 
that we were called to this by our pro- 
fession ; that it was one of the things 
which we were taught to expect when 
we became Christians ; that it is what 
the prophets and apostles endured, and 
what the master himself suffered in an 
eminent degree; and that if we meet 



committed 1 himself to him tha 
"judgeth righteously: 

24 Who his own self bare 

with the scorn of the great, the gay, 
the rich, the powerful, it is no more 
than the Saviour did, and no more than 
we have been taught to expect will be 
our portion. It may be well, too, to 
remember our unworthiness, and to 
reflect that though we have done no 
wrong to the individual who reviles us, 
yet that we are sinners, and that such 
reproaches may not be a useless ad- 
monisher of our being guilty before 
God. So David felt when reproached 
by Shimei: " So let him curse, because 
the Lord hath said unto him, Curse 
David. Who shall then say, Where- 
fore hast thou done so]" 2 Sam. xvi. 
10. (3.) When this occurs, we should 
calmly and confidently commit our 
cause to God. Our name, our charac- 
ter, our influence, our reputation, while 
living and after we are dead, we should 
leave entirely with him. We should 
not seek nor desire revenge. We should 
not call down the wrath of God on our 
persecutors and slanderers. We should 
calmly feel that God will give us the 
measure of reputation which we ought 
to have in the world, and that he will 
suffer no ultimate injustice to be done 
us. " Commit thy way unto the Lord; 
trust also in him, and he shall bring it 
to pass; and he shall bring forth thy 
righteousness as the light, and thy judg- 
ment as the noon-day." Ps. xxxvii. 5, 
6. The Latin Vulgate has here, * but 
he committed himself to him who 
judged him unjustly? judicanti se in- 
just e ; that is, to Pontius Pilate, mean- 
ing that he left himself in his hands, 
though he knew that the sentence was 
unjust. But there is no authority for 
this in the Greek, and this is one of the 
instances in which that version departs 
from the original. 

24. Who his own self. See Notes 
on Heb.i. 3, on the phrase "when he 
had by himself purged our sins." The 



A. D. 60. J 



CHAPTER IL 



* our sins in his own body 1 on 
the tree, that we, being dead to 

a R 53. 4, &c. i or, to. b Ro. 6. 11. 
c Is. 53. 5, 6. 

•neaning is, that he did it in his own 
proper person ; he did not make expia- 
tion by offering a bloody victim, but 
was himself the sacrifice. IT Bare our 
rins. There is an allusion here un- 
doubtedly to Isa. liii. 4, 12. See the 
meaning of the phrase 'to bear sins' 
fully considered in the Notes on those 
places. As this cannot mean that 
Christ so took upon himself the sins 
of men as to become himself a sinner, 
it must mean that he put himself in the 
place of sinners, and bore that which 
those sins deserved ; that is, that he 
endured in his own person that which, 
if it had been inflicted on the sinner him- 
self, would have been a proper expression 
of the divine displeasure against sin, or 
would have been a proper punishment 
for sin. See Noles on 2 Cor. v. 21. He 
was treated as if ho had been a sinner, 
in order that we might be treated as if 
we had not sinned ; that is, as if we 
were righteous. There is no other way 
in which we can conceive that one 
* bears the sins of another. They can- 
not be literally transferred to another, 
and all that can be meant is, that he 
should take the consequences on him- 
self, and suffer as if he had committed 
the transgressions himself. % In his 
own body. This alludes undoubtedly 
to his sufferings. The sufferings which 
he endured on the cross were such as 
if he had been guilty ; that is, he was 
treated as he would have been if he had 
been a sinner. He was treated as a 
malefactor ; crucified as those most 
guilty were ; endured the same kind 
of bodily pain that the guilty do who 
are punished for their own sins; and 
passed through mental sorrows strongly 
resembling — as much so as the case ad- 
mitted of — what the guilty themselves 
experience when they are left to dis- 
•ressiiig anguish of mind, and are aban- 



sins, should live 



175 

unto rip-hteous- 



ness : by ' 
healed. 



whose stripes ye were 



doned by God. The sufferings of the 
Saviour were in all respects made as 
nearly like the sufferings of the most 
guilty as the sufferings of a perfectly 
innocent being could be. If On the 
tree. Marg., « to the tree.' Gr. fai to 
%v%ov* The meaning is rather, as in 
the text, that while himself on the cross 
he bore the sorrows which our sins de- 
served. It does not mean that he con- 
veyed our sorrows there, but that while 
there he suffered under the intolerable 
burden, and was by that burden crushed 
in death. The phrase « on the tree/ 
literally 1 on the wood, 1 means the cross. 
The same Greek word is used in Acts 

v. 30; x. 39; xiii. 29. Gal. iii. 13, as 
applicable to the cross, in all of which 
places it is rendered tree. IT That we. 
being dead to sins. In virtue of his 
having thus been suspended on a cross; 
that is, his being put to death as an 
atoning sacrifice was the means by 
which we become dead to sin, and live 
to God. The phrase « being dead to 
sins' is in the original (tou^ ajfmatlai< 
aitoysvoixsvot) literally « to be absent 
from sins. 1 The Greek word was 
probably used (by an euphemism) to 
denote to die, that is, to be absent from 
the world. This is a milder and less 
repulsive word than to say/o die. It 
is not elsewhere used in the New Tes- 
tament. The meaning is, that we being 
effectually separated from sin, that is, 
being so that it no longer influences us, 
should live unto God. We are to be, 
in regard to sin, as if we were dead ; 
and it is to have no more influence 
over us than if we w T ere in our graves. 
See Notes on Rom. vi. 2—7. The 
means by which this is brought about 
is the death of Christ (Notes on Rom. 

vi. 8) ; for as he died literally on the 
cross on account of our sins, the effect 
has been to lead us to see the evil of 



176 I. PE r 

25 For ye were as sheep 
going astray ; a but are now re- 

a Ps. 119. 176. 

transgression, and lead new and holy 
lives. ^Should live unto righteous- 
ness. Though dead in respect to sin, 
yet we have real life in another respect. 
We are made alive unto God, to right- 
eousness, to true holiness. Notes on 
Rom. vi. 11. Gal. ii. 20. IT By whose 
stripes. This is taken from Isa. liii. 5. 
See it explained in the Notes on that 
verse. The word rendered stripes 
(jtcMxii-fy) means properly the livid and 
swollen mark of a blow ; the mark 
designated by us when we use the ex- 
pression « black and blue.' It is not 
properly a bloody wound, but that made 
by pinching, beating, scourging. The 
idea seems to be that the Saviour was 
scourged or whipped, and that the effect 
on us is the same in producing spiritual 
healing, or in recovering us from our 
faults, as if we had been scourged our- 
selves. By faith we see the bruises 
inflicted on him, the black and blue 
spots made by beating; we remember 
that they were on account of our sins 
and not for his; and the effect in re- 
claiming us is the same as if they had 
been inflicted on us. ^ Ye were healed. 
Sin is often spoken of as a disease, and 
redemption from it as a restoration from 
a deadly malady. See this explained 
in the Notes on Isa. liii. 5. 

25. For ye were as sheep going 
astray. Here also is an allusion to 
Isa. liii. 6. « All we like sheep have 
gone astray." See Notes on that verse. 
The figure is plain. "We were like a 
flock without a shepherd. We had 
wandered far away from the true fold, 
and were following our own paths. 
We were without a protector, and were 
exposed to every kind of danger. This 
aptly and forcibly expresses the condi- 
tion of the whole race before God re- 
covers men by the plan of salvation. 
A flock thus wandering without a 
hepherd, conductor, or guide, is in 



rER. [A. D. 60. 

turned unto the h Shepherd and 
Bishop of your souls. 

b Eze. 34. 23. Jno. 10. 11-16. 

a most pitiable condition ; and so was 
man in his wanderings before he was 
sought out and brought back to the true 
fold by the Great Shepherd. ^ But are 
now returned unto the Shepherd and 
Bishop of your souls. To Christ, 
who thus came to seek and save those 
who were lost. He is often called a 
Shepherd. See Notes on John x.l — 1 6. 
The word rendered Bishop (irticxortos) 
means overseer. It may be applied to 
one who inspects or oversees any thing, 
as public works, or the execution of 
treaties ; to any one who is an inspector 
of wares offered for sale ; or in general 
to any one who is a superintendent. It 
is applied in the New Testament to 
those who are appointed to watch over 
the interests of the church, and espe 
cially to the officers of the church. 
Here it is applied to the Lord Jesus as 
the Great Guardian and Superintendent 
of his church ; and the title of Universal 
Bishop belongs to him alone. 

REMARKS. 

In the conclusion of this chapter we 
may remark: 

(1.) That there is something very 
beautiful in the expression 'Bishop of 
souls.' It implies that the soul is the 
peculiar care of the Saviour; that it is 
the object of his special interest; and 
that it is of great value, so great that 
it is that which mainly deserves regard. 
He is the Bishop of the soul in a sensf* 
quite distinct from any care which he 
manifests for the body. That too, in 
the proper way, is the object of his 
care; but that has no importance com- 
pared with the soul. Our care is prin- 
cipally employed in respect to the body ; 
the care of the Redeemer has especial 
reference to the soul. 

(2.) It follows that the welfaro of 
the soul may be committed to him with 
confidence. It is the object of his spe- 
cial guardianship, and he will not b* 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER H. 



177 



unfaithful to the trust reposed in him. 
There is nothing more safe than the 
human soul is when it is committed in 
faith to the keeping of the Son of God. 
Comp. 2 Tim. i. 12. 

(3.) As, therefore, he has shown his 
regard for us in seeking us when we 
were wandering and lost ; as he came 
on the kind and benevolent errand to 
find us and bring us back to himself, 
let us show our gratitude to him by re- 
solving to wander no more. As we 
regard our own safety and happiness, 
let us commit ourselves to him as our 
great Shepherd, to follow where he le-ads 
us, and to be ever under his pastoral 
inspection. We had all wandered away. 
We had gone where there was no hap- 
piness and no protector. We had no 
one to provide for us, to care for us, to 
pity us. We were exposed to certain 
ruin. In that state he pitied us, sought 
as out, brought us back. If we had 
remained where we were, or had gone 
farther in our wanderings, we should 
have gone certainly to destruction. He 
has sought us out ; he has led us back ; 
he has taken us under his own protec- 
tion and guidance; and we shall be 
safe as long as we follow where he 
leads, and no longer. To him then, a 
Shepherd who never forsakes his flock, 
let us at all times commit ourselves, 
following where he leads, feeling that 
under him our great interests are secure. 

(4.) We may learn from this chap- 
ter, indeed, as we may from every other 
part of the New Testament, that in 
doing this we may be called to suffer. 
We may be reproached and reviled as 
the Great Shepherd himself was. We 
may become the objects of public scorn 
on account of our devoted attachment 
to him. We may suffer in name, in 
feeling, in property, in our business, by 
our honest attachment to the principles 
of his gospel. Many who are his fol- 
lowers may be in circumstances of 
poverty or oppression. They may be 
held in bondage ; they may be deprived 
ci their rights ; they may feel that their 



lot in life is an hard one, and that the 
world seems to have conspired against 
them to do them wrong ; but let us in 
all these circumstances look to him 
1 who made himself of no reputation, and 
took upon him the form of a servant, 
and became obedient unto death, even 
the death of the cross' (Phil. ii. 7, 8) ; 
and let us remember that it is < enough 
for the disciple that he be as his master, 
and the servant as his lord.' ?Jatt. x. 
25. In view of the example of our 
Master, and of all the promises of sup- 
port in the Bible, let us bear with pa- 
tience all the trials of life, whether 
arising from poverty, an humble con- 
dition, or the reproaches of a wicked 
world. Our trials will soon be ended ; 
and soon, under the direction of the 
'Shepherd and Bishop of souls,' we 
shall be brought to a world where trials 
and sorrows are unknown. 

(5.) In our trials here, let it be our 
main object so to live that our suffer- 
ings sSall not be on account of our own 
faults. See vs. 19 — 22. Our Saviour 
so lived. He was persecuted, reviled, 
mocked, condemned to die. But it was 
for no fault of his. In all his varied 
and prolonged sufferings, he had the 
ever-abiding consciousness that he was 
innocent; he had the firm conviction 
that it would yet be seen and confessed 
by all the world that he was 4 holy, 
harmless, undefiled.' ver. 23. His were 
not the sufferings produced by a guilty 
conscience, or by the recollection that 
he had wronged any one. So, if we 
must suffer, let our trials come upon 
us. Be it our first aim to have a con- 
science void of offence, to wrong no 
one, to give no occasion for reproaches 
and revilings, to do our duty faithfully 
to God and to men. Then, if trials 
come, we shall feel that we suffer as 
our Master did ; and then we may, as 
he did, commit our cause " to him that 
judgeth righteously," assured that in 
due time " he will bring forth our right- 
eousness as the light, and our judgment 
as the noon-day." Ps. xxx /ii. 6 



178 



I. PETER. 



[A. I>. 60. 



CHAPTER III. 

ANALYSIS OE THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter embraces the following 
ubjects : 

I. The duty of wives, vs. 1 — 6. Par- 
ticularly (a) that their conduct should 
be such as w r ould be adapted to lead 
their unbelieving husbands to embrace 
a religion whose happy influence was 
seen in the pure conduct of their wives, 
vs. 1, 2. In reference to dress and 
ornaments, that they should not seek 
that which was external, but rather 
that which was of the heart, vs. 34. 
(c) For an illustration of the manner 
in which these duties should be per- 
formed, the apostle refers them to the 
holy example of the wife of Abraham 
as one which Christian females should 
imitate, vs. 5, 6. 

II. The duty of husbands, ver. 7. It 
was their duty to render all proper 
honour to their wives, and to live with 
them as fellow-heirs of salvation, that 
their prayers might not be hindered : 
implying (1.) that in the most important 
respects they were on an equality ; (2.) 
that they would pray together, or that 
there would be family prayer ; and (3.) 
that it was the duty of husband and 
wife so to live together that their pray- 
ers might ascend from united hearts, 
and that it would be consistent for God 
to answer them. 

III. The general duty of unity and 
of kindness, vs. 8 — 14. They were 

(a) to be of one mind ; to have com- 
passion ; to love as brethren, ver. 8. 

(b) They were never to render evil for 
evil, or railing for railing, ver. 9. (c) 
They were to remember the promises 
of length of days, and of honour, made 
to those who were pure in their con- 
versation, and who were the friends of 
peace, vs. 9, 10. (d) They were to 
remember that the eyes of the Lord 
were always on the righteous ; that 
they :vho were good were under his 
protection, ver. 12; and that if, while 
they maintained this character, they 



were called to suffer, they should count 
it rather an honour than a hardship, 
vs. 13, 14. 

IV. The duty of being ready always 
to give to every man a reason for the 
hope they entertained ; and, if they 
were called to suffer persecution and 
trial in the service of God, of being 
able still to show good reasons why 
they professed to be Christians, and of 
so living that those who wronged them 
should see that their religion was more 
than a name, but was founded in such 
truth as to command the assent even 
of their persecutors, vs. 15 — 17. 

V. In their persecutions and trials 
they were to remember the example of 
Christ, his trials, his patience, and his 
triumphs, vs. 18 — 22. Particularly (a) 
the apostle refers them to the fact that 
he had suffered, though he was inno- 
cent, and that he was put to death 
though he had done no wrong, ver. 18. 
(6) He refers them to the patience and 
forbearance of Christ in a former age, 
an age of great and abounding wicked- 
ness, when in the person of his repre- 
sentative and ambassador Noah, he 
suffered much and long from the oppo- 
sition of the guilty and perverse men 
who were finally destroyed, and who 
are now held in prison, showing us 
how patient we ought to be when 
offended by others in our attempts to 
do them good. vs. 19, 20. (c) He re- 
fers to the fact that notwithstanding all 
the opposition which Noah met with 
in bearing a message, as an ambassadoi 
of the Lord, to a wicked generation, he 
and his family were saved, ver. 21. 
The design of this allusion evidently 
is, to show us that if we are patient 
and forbearing in the trials which we 
meet with in the world, we shall be 
saved also. Noah, says the apostle, 
was saved by water. We, too, says 
he, are saved in a similar manner by 
water. In his salvation, and in ours, 
wafer is employed as the means of sal- 
vation ; in his case by bearing up the 
ark, in ours by becoming the emblem 



A. 17. 60.] 



CHAPTER HI. 



179 



CHAPTER III. 
T IKEWISE, ye wives, a he in 
-Li subjection to your own hus- 
bands ; that if any obey not the 
word, they also may without the 

a Ep. 5. 22. Ti. 2. 5, 6. 

of the washing away of sins, (d) The 
apostle refers to the fact that Christ 
has ascended to heaven, and has been 
exalted over angels, and principalities, 
and powers, thus showing that having 
borne all his trials with patience he 
ultimately triumphed, and that in like 
manner we, if we are patient, shall 
triumph also. ver. 22. He came off a 
conqueror, and. was exalted to the 
highest honours of heaven ; and so, if 
faithful, we may hope to come off con- 
querors also, and be exalted to the 
honours of heaven as he was. The 
whole argument here is draw r n from 
the example of Christ, first, in his 
patience and forbearance with the old 
world, and then when he was person- 
ally on the earth ; from the fact, that 
in the case of that messenger whom he 
sent to the ungodly race before the 
flood, and in his own case when per- 
sonally on earth, there was ultimate 
triumph after all that they met with 
from ungodly men ; and thus, if we en- 
dure opposition and trials in the same 
way, we may hope also to triumph in 
heaven with our exalted Saviour. 

1. Likewise, ye wives, be in subjec- 
tion to your own husbands. On the 
duty here enjoined, see Notes on 1 Cor. 
xi. 3—9, and Eph. v. 22. IF That if 
any obey not the word, The word of 
God ; the gospel. That is, if any 
wives have husbands who are not true 
Christians. This would be likely to 
occur when the gospel was first preach- 
ed, as it does now, by the fact that 
wives might be converted, though their 
husbands were not. It cannot be in- 
ferred from this that after they them- 
selves had become Christians, they had 
married unbelieving husbands. The 
term < word' here refers particularly to 



word be won by the conversa- 
tion of the wives ; 

2 While they behold your 
chaste conversation coupled with 
fear. 



the gospel as preached; and the idea 
is, that if they were regardless of that 
gospel when preached — if they would 
not attend on preaching, or if they 
were unaffected by it, or if they openly 
rejected it, there might be hope still 
that they would be converted by the 
Christian influence of a wife at home, 
fn such cases, a duty of special import- 
ance devolves on the wife. IT They 
also may without the word be won. 
In some other way than by preaching. 
This does not mean that they would 
be converted independently of the in- 
fluence of truth — for truth is always 
the instrument of conversion (James i. 
18. John xvii. 17) ; but that it was to 
be by another influence than preaching. 
1T By the conversation of the wives. 
By the conduct or deportment of their 
wives. See Notes on Phil. i. 27. The 
word conversation, in the Scriptures, 
is never confined, as it is now with us, 
to oral discourse, but denotes conduct 
in. general. It includes indeed « con- 
versation' as the word is now used, but 
it embraces also much more — including 
every thing that we do. The meaning 
here is, that the habitual deportment of 
the wife was to be such as to show the 
reality and power of religion ; to show 
that it had such influence on her tem- 
per, her words, her whole deportment, 
as to demonstrate that it was from 
God. 

2. While they behold your chaste 
conversation. Your pure conduct. The 
word chaste here (wyvrjp) refers to pu- 
rity of conduct in all respects, and not 
merely to chastity properly so called. 
It includes that, but it also embraces 
much more. The conduct of the wife 
is to be in all respects pure ; and this 
is to be the grand instrumentality in 



180 . I. PETER, 

3 Whose adorning, a let it not 

a 1 Ti. 2. 9, 10. 



the conversion of her husband. A wife 
may be strictly chaste, and yet there 
may be many other things in her con- 
duct and temper which would mar the 
beauty of her piety, and prevent any 
happy influence on the mind of her 
husband. % Coupled with fear. The 
word fear in this place, may refer either 
to the fear of God, or to a proper re- 
spect and reverence for their husbands. 
Eph. v. 33. The trait of character 
which is referred to is that of proper 
respect and reverence in all the rela- 
tions which she sustained, as opposed 
to a trifling and frivolous mind. Leigh- 
ton suggests that the word fear here 
relates particularly to the other duty 
enjoined — that of chaste conversation — 
" fearing the least stain of chastity, or 
the very appearance of any thing not 
suiting with it. It is a delicate, timo- 
rous grace, afraid of the least air, or 
shadow of any thing that hath but a 
resemblance of wronging it, in carriage, 
or speech, or apparel." 

3. Whose adorning. Whose orna- 
ment. The apostle refers here to a 
propensity which exists in the heart 
of woman to seek that which would be 
esteemed ornamental, or that which 
will appear well in the sight of others, 
and commend us to them. The desire 
of this is laid deep in human nature, 
and therefore, when properly regulated, 
is not wrong. The only question is, 
what is the true and appropriate orna- 
ment] What should be primarily 
sought as the right kind of adorning] 
The apostle does not condemn true 
ornament, nor does he condemn the 
desire to appear in such a way as to 
secure the esteem of others. God does 
not condemn real ornament. The uni- 
verse is full of it. The colours of the 
clouds and of the rainbow ; the varied 
hues of flowers ; the plumage of birds, 
and the covering of many of the ani- 
mals of the forest; the green grass; 



[A.D. 60 

ming 

plaiting the hair, and of wearing 



be that outward adorning of 



the variety of hill and dale ; the beauty 
of the human complexion, the ruddy 
cheek, and the sparkling eye, are all of 
the nature of ornament. They are 
something superadded to what would 
be merely useful, to make them appear 
well. Few or none of these things 
are absolutely necessary to the things 
to which they are attached ; for the 
eye could see without the various tints 
of beauty tbit are drawn upon it, and 
the lips and the cheeks could perform 
their functions without their beautiful 
tints, and the vegetable world could 
exist without the variegated colours 
that are painted on it ; but God meant 
that this should be a beautiful world ; 
that it should appear well ; that there 
should be something more than mere 
utility. The true notion of ornament 
or adorning, is that which will make 
any person or thing appear well, or 
beautiful, to others; and the apostle 
does not prohibit that which would 
have this effect in the wife. The 
grand thing which she was to seek, 
was not that which is merely external, 
but that which is internal, and which 
God regards as of so great value. 
1T Let it not be that outward adorning. 
-Let not this be the main or principal 
thing ; let not her heart be set on this. 
The apostle does not say that she 
should wholly neglect her personal ap- 
pearance, for she has no more right to 
be offensive to her husband by neglect- 
ing her personal appearance, than by a 
finical attention to it. Religion pro- 
motes neatness, and cleanliness, and a 
proper attention to our external appear- 
ance according to our circumstances in 
life, as certainly as it does to the inter- 
nal virtue of the soul. On this whole 
passage, see Notes on 1 Tim. ii. 9, 10. 
H Of plaiting the hair. See Notes on 
1 Tim. ii. 9. Oomp. Notes on Isa. iii. 24. 
Great attention is paid to this in the 
East, and it is to this that the -.postle 



A.D.GO.] CHAP1 

of gold, or of putting on of ap- 
parel ; 

a Ps. 45. 13. Ro. 2. 29. 

here refers. " The women in the East- 
ern countries," says Dr. Shaw (Travels, 
p. 294), " affect to have their hair hang 
down to the ground, which they collect 
into one lock, upon the hinder part of 
the head, binding and plaiting it about 
with ribbons. Above this, or on the 
top of their heads, persons of better 
fashion wear flexible plates of gold or 
silver, variously cut through, and en- 
graved in imitation of lace." We are 
not to suppose that a mere braiding or 
plaiting of the hair is improper, for 
there may be no more simple or con- 
venient way of disposing of it. But 
the allusion here is to the excessive 
care which then prevailed, and espe- 
cially to their setting the heart on such 
ornaments rather than on the adorning 
which is internal. It may not be easy 
to fix the exact limit of propriety about 
the method of arranging the hair, or 
about any other ornament ; but those 
whose hearts are right, generally have 
little difficulty on the subject. Every 
ornament of the body, however beauti- 
ful, is soon to be laid aside ; the adorn- 
ing of the soul will endure for ever, 
t Or of vjearing of gold. The gold 
here particularly referred to is probably 
that which was interwoven in the hair, 
and which was a common female or- 
nament in ancient times. Thus Virgil 
says, crines nodantur in aurum. And 
again, crineni implicat auro. See 
Homer, II., B. 872. Herod, i. 82, and 
Thucyd. i. 6. The wearing of gold in 
the hair, however, was more common 
among women of loose morals than 
among virtuous females. Pollux iv. 153. 
It cannot be supposed that all wearing 
of gold about the person is wrong, for 
there is nothing evil in gold itself, and 
there may be some articles connected 
with apparel made of gold that may in 
no manner draw off the affections from 
higher things, and may do nothing to 



RR III. LSI 

4 But let it be the hidden man 
of the heart," in that which is not 

endanger piety. The meaning is, that 
such ornaments should not be sought; 
that Christians should be in no way 
distinguished for them ; that they 
should not engross the time and atten- 
tion ; that Christians should so dress 
as to show that their minds are occu 
pied with nobler objects, and that in 
their apparel they should be models of 
neatness, economy, and plainness. If 
it should be said that this expression 
teaches that it is wrong to wear gold 
at all, it may be replied that on the 
same principle it would follow that the 
next clause teaches that it is wrong to 
put on apparel at all. There is really 
no difficulty in such expressions. We 
are to dress decently, and in the man- 
ner that will attract least attention, and 
we are to show that our hearts are in- 
terested supremely in more important 
things than in outward adorning. J Or 
of putting on of apparel. That is, 
this is not to be the ornament which 
we principally seek, or for which we 
are distinguished. We are to desire a 
richer and more permanent adorning — 
that of the heart. 

4. But let it be the hidden man of 
the heart. This expression is substan- 
tially the same as that of Paul in Rom. 
vii. 22, " the inward man." See Notes 
on that place. The word « hidden' here 
means that which is concealed ; that 
which is not made apparent by the 
dress, or by ornament. It lies within, 
pertaining to the affections of the soul. 
^ In that which is not corruptible. 
Properly < in the incorruptible orna- 
ment of a meek and quiet spirit.' This 
is said to be incorruptible in contradis- 
tinction to gold and apparel. They 
will decay ; but the internal ornament 
is ever enduring. The sense is, that 
whatever pertains to outward decora* 
tion, however beautiful and costly, is 
fading, but that which pertains to the 



corruptible, even the ornament of 
a meek a and quiet spirit, which 

a Ps. 25. 9 ; 149. 4. Mat. 5. 5. 



I. PETER. [A. D. m 

is in the sight of God of great 
price. 



soul is enduring. As the soul is im- 
mortal, so all that tends to adorn that 
will be immortal too; as the body is 
mortal, so all with which it can be in- 
vested is decaying and will soon be de- 
stroyed. IT The ornament of a meek 
and quiet spirit. Of a calm temper ; 
a contented mind; a heart free from 
passion, pride, envy, and irritability ; 
a soul not subject to the agitations and 
vexations of those who live for fashion, 
and who seek to be distinguished for 
external adorning. The connection 
here shows that the apostle refers to 
this, not only as that which would be 
of great price in the sight of God, but 
as that which would tend to secure the 
affection of their husbands, and win 
them to embrace the true religion (See 
vs. 1,2); and, in order to this, he re- 
commends them, instead of seeking 
external ornaments, to seek those of the 
mind and of the heart, as more agreea- 
ble to their husbands ; as better adapted 
to win their hearts to religion ; as that 
which would be most permanently 
proved. In regard to this point, wc 
may observe (1.) that there are, un- 
doubtedly, some husbands who are 
pleased with excessive ornaments in 
their wives, and who take a pleasure 
in seeing them decorated with gold, 
and pearls, and costly array. (2.) 
That all are pleased and gratified with 
a suitable attention to personal appear- 
ance on the part of their wives. It is 
as much the duty of a wife to be cleanly 
in her person, and neat in her habits, 
in the presence of her husband, as in 
the presence of strangers; and no wife 
can hope to secure the permanent affec- 
tion of her husband who is not atten- 
tive lo her personal appearance in her 
own family ; especially if, while care- 
less of her personal appearance in the 
presence of her husband, she makes it 
& joint to appear gaily dressed before 



others. Yet (3.) the decoration of the 
body is not all, nor is it the principal 
thing which a husband desires. He 
desires primarily in his wife the more 
permanent adorning which pertains to 
the heart. Let it be remembered (a) 
that a large part of the ornaments on 
which females value themselves are hsi 
to a great extent on the other sex. 
Many a man cannot tell the difference 
between diamonds and cut-glass, or 
paste in the form of diamonds ; and 
few are such connoisseurs in the mat- 
ter of female ornaments as to appre- 
ciate at all the difference in the quality 
or colour of silks, and shawls, and 
laces, which might appear so important 
to a female eye. The fact is, that those 
personal ornaments which to females 
appear of so much value, are much 
less regarded and prized by men than 
they often suppose. It is a rare thing 
that a man is so thoroughly skilled in 
the knowledge of the distinctions that 
pertain to fashions, as to appreciate 
that on which the heart of a female 
often so much prides itself ; and it is 
no great credit to him if he can do this. 
His time usually, unless he is a tailor 
or a jeweller, might have been much 
better employed than in making those 
acquisitions which are needful to qualify 
him to appreciate and admire the pecu- 
liarities of gay female apparel. (Z>) 
But a man has a real interest in what 
constitutes the ornaments of the heart. 
His happiness, in his intercourse with 
his wife, depends on these. He knows 
what is denoted by a kind temper ; by 
gentle words ; by a placid brow ; by a 
modest and patient spirit; by a heart 
that is calm in trouble, and that is af- 
fectionate and pure ; by freedom irom 
irritability, fretfulness, and impatience ; 
and he can fully appreciate the value 
of these things. No professional skill 
is necessary to qualify him to see their 



A. D. 60. ] CHAPTER III. 

5 For after this manner, in 
the old time, the holy women 
also, who trusted in God, adorned 



163 



worth ; and no acquired tact in discri 
mination is requisite to enable him to 
estimate them according to their full 
value. A wife, therefore, if she would 
permanently please her husband, should 
seek the adorning of the soul rather 
than the body ; the ornament of the 
heart, rather than gold and jewels. 
The one can never be a substitute for 
the other; and whatever outward deco- 
rations she may have, unless she have 
a gentleness of spirit, a calmness of 
temper, a benevolence and purity of 
soul, and a cultivation of mind that her 
husband can love, she cannot calculate 
on his permanent affection. ^ Which 
is in the sight of God of great price. 
Of great value ; that being of great 
value for which a large price is paid. 
He has shown his sense of its value 
(a) by commending it so often in his 
word ; (b) by making religion to con- 
sist so much in it, rather than in high 
intellectual endowments, learning, skill 
in the arts, and valour; and (c) by the 
character of his Son, the Lord Jesus, 
in whom this was so prominent a cha- 
racteristic. Sentiments not unlike what 
is here stated by the apostle, occur not 
unfrequently in heathen classic writers. 
There are some remarkable passages in 
Plutarch, strongly resembling it: — " An 
ornament, as Crates said, is that which 
adorns. The proper ornament of a 
woman is that which becomes her best. 
This is neither gold, nor pearls, nor 
scarlet, but those things which are an 
evident proof of gravity, regularity, and 
modesty." — Conjugalia Prsecept., c. 
xxvi. The wife of Phocion, a cele- 
brated Athenian general, receiving a 
visit from a lady who was elegantly 
adorned with gold and jewels, and her 
hair with pearls, took occasion to call 
the attention of her guest to the ele- 
gance and costliness of her dress. < My 
ornament.' said the wife of Phocion, 



| themselves, being in subjection 
unto their own husbands : 

6 Even as Sara obeyed Abra- 

< is my husband, now for the twentieth 
year general of the Athenians.' — Plui. 
Life of Phocion. " The Sicilian tyrant 
sent to the daughters of Lysander, gar- 
ments and tissues of great value, but 
Lysander refused them, saying, < These 
ornaments will rather put my daughters 
out of countenance than adorn them.' " 
— Plutarch. So in the fragments of 
Naumachius, as quoted by Benson, 
there is a precept much like this of 
Peter: " Be not too fond of gold, nei- 
ther wear purple hyacinth about your 
neck, or the green jasper, of which fool- 
ish persons are proud. Do not covet 
such vain ornaments, neither view your- 
self too often in the glass, nor twist your 
hair into a multitude of curls," &c. 

5. For after this manner, in the old 
time. The aliusion here is particularly 
to the times of the patriarchs, and the 
object of the apostle is to state another 
reason why they should seek that kind 
of ornament which he had been com- 
mending. The reason is, that this 
characterized the pious and honoured 
females of ancient times — those females 
who had been most commended of 
God, and who were most worthy to be 
remembered on earth. MWho trusted 
in God. Greek, < Who hoped in God ;' 
that is, who were truly pious. They 
were characterized by simple trust or 
hope in God, rather than by a fondness 
for external adorning. "0" Adorned them- 
selves. To w 7 it, with a meek and quiet 
spirit, manifested particularly by the 
respect evinced for their husbands. 
IT Being in subjection unto their own 
husbands. This was evidently a cha- 
racteristic of the early periods of th8 
world, and piety was understood to 
consist much in proper respect for 
others, according to the relations sus- 
tained towards them. 

6. Even as Sara obeyed Abraham. 
Sarah was one of the most distinguished 



.84 L PI 

ham, calling him Lord : a whose 
daughters ye are, as long as ye 

a Ge. 18. 12. 

of the wives of the patriarchs, and her 
case is referred to as furnishing one of 
the best illustrations of the duty to 
which the apostle refers. Nothing is 
saidf in the brief records of her life, of 
any passion for outward adorning; 
much is saio of her kindness to her 
husband, and her respect for him. 
Comp. Gen. xii. 5 ; xviii. 6. IT Call- 
ing him Lord. See Gen. xviii. 12. 
It was probably inferred from this in- 
stance, by the apostle, and not without 
reason, that Sarah habitually used this 
respectful appellation, acknowledging 
by it that he was her superior, and that 
he had a right to rule in his own house. 
The word lord has the elementary idea 
of ruling, and this is the sense here, — 
that she acknowledged that he had a 
right to direct the affairs of his house- 
hold, and that it was her duty to be in 
subjection to him as the head of the 
family. In what respects this is a duty, 
may be seen by consulting the Notes 
on Eph. v. 22. Among the Romans, 
it was quite common for wives to use 
the appellation lord (dominus), when 
speaking of their husbands. The same 
custom also prevailed among the Greeks. 
See Grotius, in loc. This passage does 
not prove that the term lord should be 
the particular appellation by which 
Christian wives should address their 
husbands now, but it proves that there 
should be the same respect and defer- 
ence which was implied by its use in 
patriarchal times. The welfare of so- 
ciety, and the happiness of individuals, 
are not diminished by showing proper 
respect for all classes of persons in the 
various relations of life. IT Whose 
daughters ye are. That is, you will 
be worthy to be regarded as her daugh- 
ters, if you manifest the same spirit 
that she did. The margin here, as the 
Greek, is children. The sense is, that 
if they demeaned themselves correctly 



ITER. [A. D. 60 

do well, and are not afraid with 
any amazement. 

i children. 

in the relation of wives, it would be 
proper to look upon her as their mother, 
and to feel that they were not unwor- 
thy to be regarded as her daughters. 
IT As long as ye do well. In respect 
to the particular matter under conside- 
ration. TT And are not afraid with 
any amazement. This passage has 
been variously understood. Some have 
supposed that this is suggested as an 
argument to persuade them to do well, 
from the consideration that by so doing 
they would be preserved from those 
alarms and terrors which a contest with 
superior power might bring with it, 
and which would prove as injurious to 
their peace as to their character. Ro- 
senmuller explains it, <If ye do well, 
terrified by no threats of unbelieving 
husbands, if they should undertake to 
compel you to deny the Christian faith/ 
Doddridge supposes that it means that 
they were to preserve their peace and 
fortitude in any time of danger, so as 
not to act out of character, through 
amazement or danger. Calvin, Benson, 
and Bloomfield understand it of that 
firmness and intrepidity of character 
which would be necessary to support 
their religious independence, when 
united with heathen husbands ; mean- 
ing that they were not to be deterred 
from doing their duty by any threats 
or terrors, either of their unbelieving- 
husbands, or of their enemies and per- 
secutors. Dr. Clarke supposes that it 
means that if they did well, they would 
live under no dread of being detected 
in improprieties of life, or being found 
out in their infidelities to their hus- 
bands, as those must always be who are 
unfaithful to their marriage vows. The 
word rendered amazement (rttorfitj) 
does not elsewhere occur in the New 
Testament. It means terror, trepida- 
tion, fear, and the literal translation of 
the Greek is, not fearing any fear* 



A. D. 60.] 

7 Likewise, 



a Col. 3. 19 



CHAPTER III 

husbands, 



It seems to me that the following may 
xpress the sense of the passage: (1.) 
There is undoubtedly an allusion to the 
character of Sarah, and the object of 
the apostle is to induce them to follow 
her example. (2.) The thing in Sarah 
which he would exhort them to imitate, 
was her pure and upright life, her faith- 
ful discharge of her duties as a woman 
fearing God. This she did constantly 
wherever she was, regardless of conse- 
quences. Among friends and strangers, 
at home and abroad, she was distin- 
guished for doing well. Such was her 
character, such her fidelity to her hus- 
band and her God, such her firm in- 
tegrity and benevolence, that she at all 
times lived to do good, and would have 
done it, unawed by terror, undeterred 
by threats. To whatever trial her piety 
was exposed, it bore the trial ; and such 
was her strength of virtue, that it was 
certain her integrity would be firm by 
whatever consequences she might have 
been threatened for her adherence to 
her principles. (3.) They were to imi- 
tate her in this, and were thus to show 
that they were worthy to be regarded 
as her daughters. They were to do 
well ; to be faithful to their husbands ; 
to be firm in their principles ; to ad- 
here steadfastly to what was true and 
good, whatever trials they might pass 
through, however much they might be 
threatened with persecution, or how- 
ever any might attempt to deter them 
from the performance of their duty. 
Thus, by a life of Christian fidelity, 
unawed by fear from any quarter, they 
would show that they were imbued 
with the same principles of unbending 
virtue which characterized the wife of 
the Father of the faithful, and that they 
were not unworthy to be regarded as 
her daughters. 

7. Likewise \ ye husbands. On the 
general duty of husbands, see Notes on 
Eph. v. 25, seq. IT Dwell with them. 
16* 



183 

dwell with them according to 
knowledge, giving honour unto 

That is, « Let your manner of living 
with them be that which is immediately 
specified. IT According to knowledge. 
In accordance with an intelligent view 
of the nature of the relation ; or, as 
becomes those who have been instructed 
in the duties of this relation according 
to the gospel. The meaning evidently 
is, that they should seek to obtain just 
views of what Christianity enjoins in 
regard to this relation, and that they 
should allow those intelligent views to 
control them in all their intercourse 
with their wives. IT Giving honour 
unto the wife. It was an important 
advance made in society when the 
Christian religion gave such a direction 
as this, for every where among the 
heathen, and under all false systems of 
religion, woman has been regarded as 
worthy of little honour or respect. She 
has been considered as a slave, or as 
a mere instrument to gratify the pas- 
sions of man. It is one of the element- 
ary doctrines of Christianity, however, 
that woman is to be treated with re- 
spect; and one of the first and most 
marked effects of religion on society is 
to elevate the wife to a condition in 
which she will be worthy of esteem 
The particular reasons for the honour 
which husbands are directed to show 
to their wives, here specified, are two : 
she is to be treated with special kind- 
ness as being more feeble than man, 
and as having a claim therefore to 
delicate attention ; and she is to be 
honoured as the equal heir of the grace 
of life. Doddridge, Clarke, and some 
others, suppose that the word honour 
here refers to maintenance or support, 
and that the command is, that the hus- 
band is to provide for his wife so that 
she may not want. But it seems to 
me that the word is to be understood 
here in its more usual signification, and 
that it inculcates a higher duty than 
that of merely providing for the tens 



186 



I. PETER. 



LA. D. 60 



the wife, as unto the weaker ves- 1 of the grace of life ; that your 
sel, and as being heirs together prayers be not hindered. 



poral wants of the wife, and strikes 
at a deeper evil than a mere neglect 
of meeting her temporal necessities 
The reasons assigned for doing th 
seem to imply it. H As unto the 
weaker vessel. It is not uncommon 
in the Scriptures to compare the body 
to a vessel (Comp. Notes on 1 Thess, 
iv. 4), and thence the comparison is 
extended to the whole person. This 
is done, either because the body is frail 
and feeble, like an earthen vessel easily 
broken ; or because it is that in which 
the soul is lodged ; or, because, in ac- 
cordance with a frequent use of the 
word (see below), the body is the in- 
strument by which the soul accom- 
plishes its purposes, or is the helper of 
the soul. Comp. Acts ix. 15. Rom. 
ix. 22, 23. 2 Cor. iv. 7. In the later 
Hebrew usage it was common to apply 
the term vessel (Heb. ^3, Or. 6xsvo$) 
to a wife, as is done here. See Schoett- 
gen, Hor. Heb. p. 827. Expressions 
similar to this, in regard to the com- 
parative feebleness of woman, occur 
frequently in the classic writers. See 
Wetstein in loc. The reasons why the 
term vessel was given to a wife, are not 
very apparent. A not unfrequent sense 
of the word used here (cxsvof) in the 
Greek classics was that of an instru- 
ment ; a helper ; one who was em- 
ployed by another to accomplish any 
thing, or to aid him (Passow), and it 
seems probable that this was the reason 
why the term was given to the wife. 
Comp. Gen. ii. 18. The reason here 
assigned for the honour that was to be 
shown to the wife is, that she is 1 the 
weaker vessel.' By this it is not ne- 
cessarily meant that she is of feebler 
capacity, or inferior mental endow- 
ments, but that she is more tender 
and delicate ; more subject to infirmi- 
ties and weaknesses ; less capable of 
enduring fatigue and toil ; less adapted 



to the rough and stormy scenes of life. 
As such, she should be regarded and 
treated with special kindness and at- 
tention. This is a reason, the force 
of which all can see and appreciate. 
So we feel toward a sister ; so we feel 
toward a beloved child, if he is of feeble 
frame and delicate constitution ; and so 
every man should feel in relation to 
his wife. She may have mental en- 
dowments equal to his own ; she may 
have moral qualities in every way supe- 
rior to his, but the God of nature has 
made her with a more delicate frame, 
a more fragile structure, and with a 
body subject to many infirmities to 
which the more hardy frame of man is 
a stranger. *H And as being heirs to- 
gether of the grace of life. The grace 
that is connected with eternal life ; that 
is, as fellow-Christians. They were 
equal heirs of the everlasting inherit- 
ance, called in the Scripture " life 
and the same < grace' connected with 
that inheritance had been conferred on 
both. — This passage contains a very 
important truth in regard to the female 
sex. Under every other system of re- 
ligion, but the Christian system, wo- 
man has been regarded as in every way 
nferior to man. Christianity teaches 
that, in respect to her highest interests, 
the interests of religion, she is evert/ 
way his equal. She iy entitled to all 
the hopes and promises which religion 
mparts. She is redeemed as he is. 
She is addressed in the s^ms language 
of tender invitation. She has the same 
privileges and comforts which religion 
mparts here, and she will be elevated 
to the same rank and privities in 
heaven. This single truth would raise 
the female sex everywhere from de- 
gradation, and check at once half the 
social evils of the race. Make her the 
equal of man in the hopo of heaven, 
and at once she rises to her appi ->priala 



A. D. GO.] 



CHAPTER III. 



187 



place. Home is made what it should 
be, a place of intelligence and pure 
friendship ; and a world of suffering 
and sadness smiles under the benefac- 
tions of Christian woman. U" That 
your prayers be not hindered. It is 
fairly implied here (1 .) that it was sup- 
posed there would be united or family 
prayer. The apostle is speaking of 
' dwelling with the w r ife,' and of the 
right manner of treating her, and it 
is plainly supposed that united prayer 
would be one thing that would charac- 
terize their living together. He does 
not direct that there should be prayer. 
He seems to take it for granted that 
there would be, and it may be remarked 
that where there is true religion in 
right exercise, there is prayer as a mat- 
ter of course. The head of a family 
does not ask whether he must establish 
family worship. He does it as one of 
the spontaneous fruits of religion ; as 
a thing concerning which no formal 
command is necessary. Prayer in the 
family, as everywhere else, is a privi- 
lege ; and the true question to be asked 
on the subect is not whether a man 
must, but whether he may pray. (2.) 
It is implied that there might be such 
a way of living as effectually to hinder 
prayer ; that is, to prevent its being 
offered aright, and to prevent any an- 
swer. This might occur in many ways. 
If the husband treated the wife un- 
kindly ; if he did not show her proper 
respect and affection ; if there were 
bickerings, and jealousies, and conten- 
tions between them, there could be no 
hope that acceptable prayer would be 
offered. A spirit of strife ; irritability 
and unevenness of temper ; harsh looks 
and unkind words ; a disposition easily 
to take offence, and an unwillingness 
to forgive, all these prevent a 1 return 
of prayers.' Acceptable prayer never 
can be offered in the tempest of pas- 
sion, and there can be no doubt that 
such prayer is often 'hindered' by 
the inequalities of temper, and the 
bickerings and strifes that exist in 



families. Yet, how desirable is it that 
husband and wife should so live to- 
gether that their prayers may not be 
hindered ! How desirable for their 
own peace and happiness in that rela- 
tion ; how desirable for the welfare of 
children ! — In view of the exposition 
in this verse, we may remark (a) that 
Christianity has done much to elevate 
the female sex. It has taught that 
woman is an heir of the grace of life 
as well as man ; that, while she is in- 
ferior in bodily vigour, she is his equal 
in the most important respect ; that she 
is a fellow-traveller with him to a high- 
er world, and that in every way she is 
entitled to all the blessings which re- 
demption confers, as much as he is. 
This single truth has done more than 
all other things combined to elevate the 
female sex, and is all that is needful to 
raise her from her degradation all over 
the world, (b) They, therefore, who 
desire the elevation of the female sex ; 
who see woman ignorant and degraded 
in the dark parts of the earth, should 
be the friends of all well-directed efforts 
to send the gospel to heathen lands. 
Every husband who has a pure and in- 
telligent who, and every father w T ho has 
an accomplished daughter, and every 
brotker who has a virtuous sister, should 
seek to spread the gospel abroad. To 
that gospel only he owes it that he has 
such a wife, daughter, sister ; and that 
gospel, which has given to him such an 
intelligent female friend, would elevate 
woman everywhere to the same condi- 
tion. The obligation which he owes 
to religion in this respect can be dis- 
charged in no better way than by aid- 
ing in diffusing that gospel which 
would make the wife, the daughter, the 
sister, everywhere what she is in his 
own dwelling, (c) Especially is this 
the duty of the Christian female. She 
owes her elevation in society to Chris- 
tianity, and what Christianity has made 
her, it would make the sunken and de- 
based of her own sex ail over the earth ; 
and how can she better show her grati- 



198 I. PETER. [A. D. 60. 

8 Finally, be ye all of one a another; 1 love b as brethren, be 
mind, having compassion one of pitiful, be courteous : 
a Ro. 12. 16. i or, loving- to the. 9 Not c rendering evil for evil, 

& 1 Jno. 3. 18. c Mat. 5. 44. Ep. 4. 32. & ' 



tude than by aiding in any and every 
way in making that same gospel known 
in the dark parts of the world] (e?) 
Christianity makes a happy home. -Let 
the principles reign in any family which 
are here enjoined by the apostle, and 
that family will be one of intelligence, 
contentment, and peace. There is a 
simple and easy way of being happy 
in the family relation. It is to allow 
the spirit of Christ and his gospel to 
reign there. That done, though there 
be poverty, and disappointment, and 
sickness, and cares, and losses, yet there 
will be peace within, for there will be 
mutual love, and the cheerful hope of 
a brighter world. Where that is want- 
ing, no outward splendour, no costly 
furniture or viands, no gilded equipage, 
no long train of servants, no wine, or 
music, or dances, can secure happiness 
in a dwelling. With all these things 
there may be the most corroding pas- 
sions ; in the mansion where these 
things are, pale disease, disappointment, 
and death may come, and there shall 
be nothing to console and support. 

8. Finally. As the last direction, 
or as general counsel in reference to 
your conduct in all the relations of life. 
The apostle had specified most of the 
important relations which Christians 
sustain (ch. ii. 13 — 25; iii. 1 — 7), and 
he now gives a general direction in re- 
gard to their conduct in all those rela- 
tions. 1 Be ye all of one mind. See 
Notes on Rom. xii. 16. The word here 
used (ofio^pcor) does not elsewhere oc- 
cur in the New Testament. It means 
of the same mind ; like-minded; and 
the object is to secure harmony in their 
views and feelings, f Having compas- 
sion one of another. Sympathizing 
(pviiTto^tiii) ; entering into one an- 
other's feelings, and evincing a regard 
foi each other's welfare. Notes on 



Rom. xii. 15. Comp. 1 Cor. xii. 26. 
John xi. 35. The Greek word here 
used does not elsewhere occur in the 
New Testament. It describes that 
state of mind which exists when we 
enter into the feelings of others as if 
they were our own, as the different 
parts of the body are affected by that 
which affects one. Notes on I Cor. 

xii. 26. IF Love as brethren. Marg., 
loving the,- i. e. the brethren. The 
Greek word (fytijxbs'kfyos) does not else- 
where occur in the New Testament. It 
means loving one's brethren,- that is, 
loving each other as Christian brethren. 
Bob. Lex. Thus it enforces the duty 
so often enjoined in the New Testa- 
ment, that of love to Christians as 
brethren of the same family. Notes on 
Rom. xii. 10. Comp. Heb. xiii. 1. John 

xiii, 34. IT Be pitiful. The word here 
used (zv67t%ay%vo<) occurs nowhere elso 
in the New Testament, except in Eph. 
iv. 32, where it is rendered tender- 
hearted. See Notes on that verse. 
IT Be courteous. This word also 
(fytXofypcov) occurs nowhere else in the 
New Testament. It means friendly - 
minded, kind, courteous. Later edi- 
tions of the New Testament, instead 
of this, read (TartEivotypovsi) of a lowly 
or humble mind. See Hahn. The 
sense is not materially varied. In the 
one word the idea of friendliness is the 
one that prevails ; in the other that of 
humility. Christianity requires both 
of these virtues, and either word en- 
forces an important injunction. The 
authority is in favour of the latter 
reading ; and though Christianity re- 
quires that we should be courteous and 
gentlemanly in our treatment of others, 
this text can hardly be relied on as n 
proof-text of that point. 

9. Not rendering evil for evil. Sec 
Notes, Matt. v. 39, 44. Rom. xii. 17 



i 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER III. 



189 



or railing for railing: but con- 
trariwise blessing; knowing that 

a Ps. 34. 12, &c. 

IT Or railing for railing. See Notes, 
1 Tim. vi. 4. Comp. Mark xv. 29. 
Luke xxiii. 39. . IT But contrariwise 
blessing. In a spirit contrary to this. 
8ee Notes on Matt. v. 44. 1 Knowing 
that ye are thereunto called, that ye 
should inherit a blessing. 4 Knowing 
that you were called to be Christians 
in order that you should obtain a bless- 
ing infinite and eternal in the heavens. 
Expecting such a blessing yourselves, 
you should be ready to scatter blessings 
on all others. You should be ready 
to bear all their reproaches, and even 
to wish them well. The hope of eter- 
nal life should make your minds calm ; 
and the prospect that you are to be so 
exalted in heaven should fill your 
hearts with benignity and love.' There 
is nothing which is better fitted to 
cause our hearts to overflow with be- 
nignity ; to make us ready to forgive 
all others when they forgive us, than 
the hope of salvation. Cherishing such 
a hope ourselves, we cannot but wish 
that all others may share it, and this 
will lead us to wish for them every 
blessing. A man who has a hope of 
heaven should abound in every virtue, 
and show that he is a sincere well- 
wisher of the race. Why should one 
who expects soon to be in heaven har- 
bour malice in his bosom] Why 
should he wish to injure a fellow- 
worm] How can he 1 

10. For he that will love life. Gr., 
« He willing tow), or that wills to 
love life.' It implies that there is some 
positive desire to live; some active 
wish that life should be prolonged. 
This whole passage (vs. 10 — 12) is 
taken, with some slight variations, from 
Psalm xxxiv. 12 — 16. In the Psalm 
this expression is, « What man is he 
that desireth life, and loveth many days 
that he may see good." The sense is 
substantially the same. It is implied 



ye are thereunto called, that ye 
should inherit a blessing. 

10 For a he that will love life 

here that it is right to love life, and to 
desire many days. The desire of this 
is referred to by the Psalmist and by 
the apostle without any expression of 
disapprobation, and the way is shown 
by which length of days may be se- 
cured. Life is a blessing; a precious 
gift of God. We are taught so to 
regard it by the instinctive feelings of 
our nature ; for we are so made as to 
love it, and to dread its extinction. 
Though we should be prepared to re- 
sign it when God commands, yet there 
are important reasons why we should 
desire to live. Among them are the 
following: (1.) Because, as already 
intimated, life as such is to be regard- 
ed as a blessing. We instinctively 
shrink back from death, as one of the 
greatest evils ; we shudder at the thought 
of annihilation. It is not wrong to 
love that, in proper degree, which, by 
our very nature, we are prompted to 
love ; and we are but acting out one 
of the universal laws which our Cre- 
ator has impressed on us, when, with 
proper submission to his will, we seek 
to lengthen out our days as far as possi- 
ble. (2.) That we may see the works 
of God, and survey the wonders of his 
hand on earth. The world is full of 
wonders, evincing the wisdom and 
goodness of the Deity ; and the longest 
life, nay, many such lives as are allot- 
ted to us here, could be well employed 
in studying his works and ways. (3.) 
That we may make preparation foi 
eternity. Man may, indeed, make 
preparation in a very brief period ; but 
the longest life is not too much to ex- 
amine and settle the question whether 
we have a well-founded hope of heaven. 
If man had nothing else to do, the 
longest life could be well employed in 
inquiries that grow out of the question 
whether we are fitted for the world to 
come. In the possibility, too of being 



190 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 66. 



and see good days, let him re- 
frain his tongue from evil, and 

deceived, and in view of the awful con- 
sequences that wiil result from decep- 
tion, it is desirable that length of days 
should be given us that we may bring 
the subject to the severest test, and so 
determine it that we may go sure to 
the changeless world. (4.) That we 
may do good to others. We may, in- 
deed, do good in another world ; but 
there are ways of doing good which 
are probably confined to this. What 
good we may do hereafter to the inhab- 
itants of distant worlds, or what mi- 
nistrations, in company with angels, 
or without them, we may exercise to- 
wards the friends of God on earth after 
we leave it, we do not know, but there 
are certain things which we are morally 
certain we shall not be permitted to do 
in the future world. We shall not (a) 
personally labour for the salvation of 
sinners by conversation and other direct 
efforts ; (b) we shall not illustrate the 
influence of religion by example in 
sustaining us in trials, subduing and 
controlling our passions, and making 
us dead to the world ; (c) we shall not 
be permitted to pray for our impenitent 
friends and kindred, as we may now ; 
(d) we shall not have the opportunity 
of contributing of our substance for the 
spread of the gospel, or of going per- 
sonally to preach the gospel to the 
perishing ; (e) we shall not be em- 
ployed in instructing the ignorant, in 
advocating the cause of the oppressed 
and the wronged, in seeking to remove 
the fetters from the slave, in dispensing 
mercy to the insane, or in visiting the 
prisoner in his lonely cell ; (/) we 
shall not have it in our power to 
address a kind word to an impenitent 
child, or seek to guide him in paths of 
truth, purity, and salvation. What we 
can do personally and directly for the 
salvation of others is to be done in this 
world ; and considering how much 
there is to be done, and how useful 



his lips that they speak no 
guile : 



life may be on the earth, it is an object 
which we should desire, that our days 
may be lengthened out, and should use 
all proper means that it may be done. 
While we should ever be ready and 
willing to depart when God calls us to 
go ; while we should not wish to linger 
on these mortal shores beyond the time 
when we may be useful to others, yet, 
as long as he permits us to live, we 
should regard life as a blessing, and 
should pray that, if it be his will, we 
may not be cut down in the midst of 
our way. 

" Love not thy life, nor hate ; but what thou 
livest 

Live well ; here long, or short, permit to 
heaven." Par. Lost. 

IT And see good days. In the Psalm 
(xxxiv. 12), this is, "and loveth many 
days, that he may see good." The 
quotation by Peter throughout the pas- 
sage is taken from the Septuagint, ex- 
cepting that there is a change of the 
person from the second to the third — 
in the Psalm, e. g., * refrain thy tongue 
from evil,' &c, in the quotation, ' let 
him refrain his tongue from evil,' &c. 
4 Good days' are prosperous days ; 
happy days; days of usefulness ; days 
in which we may be respected and 
loved. H Let him refrain his tongue 
from evil. The general meaning of 
all that is said here is, ' let him lead an 
upright and pious life ; doing evil to 
no one, but seeking the good of all 
men.' To refrain the tongue from 
evil, is to avoid all slander, falsehood, 
obscenity, and profaneness, and to 
abstain from uttering erroneous and 
false opinions. Comp. James i. 26 ; 
iii. 2. ^[ And his lips that they speak 
no guile. No deceit ; nothing that 
will lead others astray. The words 
should be an exact representation of 
the truth. Rosenmuller quotes a pas- 
sage from the Hebrew book Musar 
which may not be an inappropriate ib 



A U.60.J CHAPTER HI. 

11 Let him eschew evil, and 
do good; let him seek peice, 
and ensue it. 

12 For the eyes of the Lord 



10! 



lustration of this : " A certain Assyrian 
wandering through the city, cried and 
said, * Who will receive the elixir of 
life V The daughter of Rabbi Jodus 
heard him, and went and told her fa- 
ther. « Call him in,' said he. When 
he came in, Rabbi Jannei said to him, 
< What is that elixir of life which thou 
art selling V He said to him, 'is it 
not written, What man is he that de- 
sireth life, and loveth days that he may 
see good ? Keep thy tongue from evil, 
and thy lips that they speak no guile. 
Lo, this is the elixir of life which is in 
the mouth of a man.' " 

11. Let him eschew evil. Let him 
avoid all evil. Comp. Job i. 1. IT And 
do good. In any and every way ; by 
endeavouring to promote the happiness 
of all. Comp. Notes on Gal. vi. 10. 
1 Let him seek peace, and ensue it. 
Follow it ; that is, practise it. See 
Notes on Matt. v. 9. Rom. xii. -18. 
The meaning is, that a peaceful spirit 
will contribute to length of days. (1.) 
A peaceful spirit — a calm, serene, and 
equal temper of mind — is favourable 
to health, avoiding those corroding and 
distracting passions which do so much 
to wear out the physical energies of the 
frame; and (2.) Such a spirit will 
preserve us from those contentions and 
strifes to which so many owe their 
death. Let any one reflect on the 
numbers that are killed in duels, in 
battles, and in brawls, and he will 
have no difficulty in seeing how a 
peaceful spirit will contribute to length 
of days. 

12. For the eyes of the Lord are 
over the righteous. That is, he is their 
protector. His eyes are indeed on all 
men, but the language here is that 
which describes continual guardianship 
«nd care, IT And his ears are open 



are over the righteous, and his 
ears are open unto their prayers ; 
but the face of the Lord is 
1 against them that do evil. 

i upon. 



unto their prayers. He hears their 
prayers. As he is a hearer of prayer, 
they are at liberty to go to him at all 
times, and to pour out their desires 
before him. This passage is taken 
from Ps. xxxiv. 15, and it is designed 
to show the reason why a life of piety 
will contribute to length of days. 
IT But the face of the Lord is against 
them that do evil. Marg., upon. The 
sense of the passage, however, is 
against. The Lord sets his face against 
them; an expression denoting disap- 
probation, and a determination to pun- 
ish them. His face is not mild and 
benignant towards them, as it is to- 
wards the righteous. The general sen- 
timent in these verses (10 — 12) is, 
that, while length of days is desirable, 
it is to be secured by virtue and reli- 
gion, or that virtue and religion will 
contribute to it. This is not to be un- 
derstood as affirming that all who are 
righteous will enjoy long life, for we 
know that the righteous are often 
cut down in the midst of their way, 
and that in fire, and flood, and war, 
and the pestilence, the righteous and 
the wicked often perish togetfier. But 
still, there is a sense in which it is 
true that a life of virtue and religion 
will contribute to length of days, and 
that the law is so general as to be a 
basis of calculation in reference to the 
future. I. Religion and virtue contri- 
bute to those things which are favour- 
able to length of days ; which are con- 
ducive to health, and to a vigorous 
constitution. Among those things are 
the following: (a) a calm, peaceful, 
and contented mind — avoiding the wear 
and tear of the raging passions of lust, 
avarice, and ambition ; (b) temperance 
in eating and drinking- — always favour- 
able to length of days ; (c) industry— 



192 



I. PETER. 



LA. D. GO. 



13 And a who is he tha will 

a Pr. 16. 7. Ro. 8. 28. 



one of the essential means, as a general 
rule, of promoting long life ; (d) pru- 
dence and econom)' — avoiding the ex- 
travagancies by which many shorten 
their days ; and (e) a conscientious 
and careful regard of life itself. Reli- 
gion makes men feel that life is a bless- 
ing, and that it should not be thrown 
away. Just in proportion as a man is 
under the influence of religion, does he 
regard life as of importance, and does 
he become careful in preserving it. 
Strange and paradoxical as it may 
seem, the want of i aligion often makes 
men reckless of life, and ready to throw 
it away for any trifling cause. Religion 
shows a man what great issues depend 
on life, and makes him, therefore, de- 
sirous of living to secure his own sal- 
vation and the salvation of all others. 
II. Multitudes lose their lives who 
would have preserved them if they 
had been under the influence of reli- 
gion. To see this, we have only to 
reflect (a) on the millions who are cut 
off in war as the result of ambition, 
and the want of religion ; (&) on the 
countless hosts cut down in middle life, 
or in youth, by intemperance, who 
would have been saved by religion ; 
(c) on the numbers who are the vic- 
tims of raging passions, and who are 
cut off by the diseases which gluttony 
and licentiousness engender ; (d) on 
the multitude who fall in duels, all of 
whom would have been saved by reli- 
gion ; (e) on the numbers who, as the 
result of disappointment in business or 
in love, close their own lives, who 
would have been enabled to bear up 
under their troubles if they had had re- 
ligion; and (/) on the numbers who 
are cut off from the earth as the pun- 
ishment of their crimes, all of whom 
would have continued to live if they 
had had true religion. III. God pro- 
tects the righteous. He does it by 
Raving them from those vices by which 



harm you, if ye be followers of 
that which is good ? 



the lives of so many are shortened •, 
and often, we have no reason to doubt, 
in answer to their prayers, when but 
for those prayers they would have 
fallen into crimes that would have con 
signed them to an early grave, or en- 
countered dangers from which they 
would have had no means of escape. 
No one can doubt that in fact those 
who are truly religious are saved from 
the sins which consign millions to the 
tomb ; nor is there any less reason to 
doubt that a protecting shield is often 
thrown before the children of God 
when in danger. Comp. Ps. xci. 

13. And who is he that will harm 
you , if ye be followers of that which 
is good? This question is meant to 
imply that as a general thing they need 
apprehend no evil if they lead an up- 
right and benevolent life. The idea is, 
that God would in general protect them, 
though the next verse shows that the 
apostle did not mean to teach that there 
would be absolute security, for it is 
implied there that they might be called 
to suffer for righteousness' sake. While 
it is true that the Saviour was perse- 
cuted by wicked men, though his life 
was wholly spent in doing good ; while 
it is true that the apostles were put to 
death, though following his example; 
and while it is true that good men 
have often suffered persecution, though 
labouring only to do good, still it is 
true as a general thing that a life of 
integrity and benevolence conduces to 
safety, even in a wicked world. Men 
who are upright and pure; who live 
to do good to others; who are cha- 
racteristically benevolent ; and who 
are imitators of God, are those who 
usually pass life in most tranquillity 
and security, and are often safe when 
nothing else would give security nut 
confidence in their integrity. A man 
of a holy and pure life may, under 
the protection of God, rely on that 



A.D. 60.] CHAPTER III. 

11 But and if ye suffer for 
righteousness' sake, happy are 

a Is. 8. 12, 13; 5L 12. 



character to carry him safely through 
the world, and to bring him at last 
to an honoured grave. Or should 
he be calumniated when living, and 
hi9 sun set under a cloud, still his 
name will be vindicated, and justice 
•will ultimately be done to him when 
he is dead. The world ultimately 
judges right respecting character, and 
renders < honour to whom honour is 
due.' Comp. Ps. xxxvii. 3 — 6. 

14. But and if ye suffer for right- 
eousness' sake. Implying that though, 
in general, a holy character would con- 
stitute safety, yet that there was a pos- 
sibility that they might suffer persecu- 
tion. Comp. Notes on Matt. v. 10. 
2 Tim. iii. 12. IF Happy are ye. Per- 
haps alluding to what the Saviour says 
in Matt. v. 10. " Blessed are they 
which are persecuted for righteousness' 
sake." On the meaning of the word 
happy or blessed, see Notes on Matt, 
v. 3. The meaning here is not that 
they would find positive enjoyment in 
persecution on account of righteousness, 
but that they were to regard it as a 
blessed condition ; that is, as a condi- 
tion that might be favourable to salva- 
tion, and they were not, therefore, on 
the whole, to regard it as an evil. 
IT And be not afraid of their terror. 
Of any thing which they can do to 
cause terror. There is evidently an 
allusion here to Isa. viii. 12, 13. " Nei- 
ther fear ye their fear, nor be afraid. 
Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and 
iet him be your fear, and let him be 
your dread." See Notes on that pas- 
sage. Comp. Isa. li. 12. Matt. x. 28. 
IF Neither be troubled. With appre- 
hension of danger. Comp. Notes, 
John xiv. 1. If we are true Christians, 
we have really no reason to be alarmed 
in view of any thing that can happen 
to us. God is our protector, and he is 
abundantly able to vanquish all our 
17 



193 

ye ; and a be not afraid of their 
terror, neither be troubled ; 
15 But sanctify the Lord God 



foes ; to uphold us in all our trials ; to 
conduct us through the valley of death, 
and to bring us to heaven. 6 All things 
are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, 
or Cephas, or the world, or life, or 
death, or things present, or things to 
come.' 1 Cor. iii. 21, 22. 

15. But sanctify the Lord God in 
your hearts. In Isaiah [viii. 13] this 
is, "sanctify the Lord of hosts him- 
self ;" that is, in that connection, re- 
gard him as your Protector, and bo 
afraid of him, and not of what man 
can do. The sense m the passage 
before us is, 4 In your hearts, or in the 
affections of the soul, regard the Lord 
God as holy, and act towards him with 
that confidence which a proper respect 
for one so great and so holy demands 
In the midst of dangers, be not intimi« 
dated ; dread not what man can do, 
but evince proper reliance on a holy 
God, and flee to him with the confi- 
dence which is due to one so glorious.' 
This contains, however, a more general 
direction, applicable to Christians at all 
times. It is, that in our hearts we are 
to esteem God as a holy being, and in 
all our deportment to act towards him 
as such. The object of Peter in quot- 
ing the passage from Isaiah was to lull 
the fears of those whom he addressed, 
and preserve them from any alarms in 
view of the persecutions to which they 
might be exposed ; the trials which 
would be brought upon them by men. 
Thus, in entire accordance with the 
sentiment as employed by Isaiah, he 
says, « Be not afraid of their terror, 
neither be troubled; but sanctify the 
Lord God in your hearts." That is, 
«in order to keep the mind calm in 
trials, sanctify the Lord in your hearts ; 
regard him as your holy God and Sa- 
viour; make him your refuge. This 
will allay all your fears, and secure 
you from M that you dread.' The 



194 



in your hearts ; and a be ready 

a Ps. 119. 46. 



1. PETER. [4. D. 60. 

always to give ui answer to every 



sentiment of the passage then is, that 
the sanctifying of the Lord God in 
our hearts, or proper confidence in him 
as a holy and righteous God, will de- 
liver us from fear. As this is a very 
important sentiment for Christians, it 
may be proper, in order to a just expo- 
sition of the passage, to dwell a mo- 
ment on it. I. What is meant by our 
sanctifying the Lord God ? It cannot 
mean to make him holy, for he is per- 
fectly holy whatever may be our esti- 
mate of him, and our views of him 
evidently can make no change in his 
character. The meaning, therefore, 
must be, that we should regard him as 
holy in our estimate of him, or in the 
feelings which we have towards him. 
This may include the following things: 
(1.) To esteem or regard him as a holy 
being, in contradistinction from all 
those feelings which rise up in the 
heart against him — the feelings of com- 
plaining and murmuring under his dis- 
pensations, as if he were severe and 
harsh; the feelings of dissatisfaction 
with his government, as if it were par- 
tial and unequal ; the feelings of re- 
bellion, as if his claims were unfounded 
or unjust. (2.) To desire that he may 
be regarded by others as holy, in ac- 
cordance with the petition in the Lord's 
prayer (Matt. vi. 9), " hallowed be thy 
name that is, 4 let thy name be es- 
teemed to be holy everywhere ;' a feel- 
ing in opposition to that which is re- 
gardless of the honour which he may 
receive in the world. When we esteem 
a friend, we desire that all due respect 
should be shown him by others; we 
wish that all who know him should 
have the same views that we have ; 
we are sensitive to his honour just in 
proportion as we love him. (3.) To 
act towards him as holy; that is, to 
obey his laws, and acquiesce in all his 
requirements, as if they were just and 
good. This implies (a) that we are to 



speak of him as holy, in opposition 
to the language of disrespect and irre- 
verence so common among mankind; 
(6) that we are to flee to him in trouble, 
in contradistinction from withholding 
our hearts from him, and flying to other 
sources of consolation and support. 
II. What is it to do this in the heart 1 
" Sanctify the Lord God in your 
hearts/ 3 that is, in contradistinction 
from a mere external service. This 
may imply the following things : (1.) 
In contradistinction from a mere intel- 
lectual assent to the proposition that he 
is holy. Many admit the doctrine that 
God is holy into their creeds, who never 
suffer the sentiment to find its way to 
the heart. All is right on this subject 
in the articles of their faith ; all in 
their hearts may be murmuring and 
complaining. In their creeds he is 
spoken of as just and good ; in their 
hearts they regard him as partial and un- 
just, as severe and stern, as unamiable 
and cruel. (2.) In contradistinction from 
a mere outward form of devotion. In 
our prayers, and in our hymns, we, of 
course, « ascribe holiness to our Maker.' 
But how much of this is the mere lan- 
guage of form ! How little does the 
heart accompany it ! And even in the 
most solemn and sublime ascriptions 
of praise, how often are the feelings of 
the heart entirely at variance with what 
is expressed by the lips ! What would 
more justly offend us, than for a pro- 
fessed friend to approach us with the 
language of friendship, when every 
feeling of his heart belied his expres- 
sions, and we knew that his honied 
words were false and hollow ! III. 
Such a sanctifying of the Lord in our 
hearts will save us from fear. We 
dread danger, we dread sickness, we 
dread death, we dread the eternal 
world. We are alarmed when out 
affairs are tending to bankruptcy : we 
are alarmed when a friend is sick and 



fL D. 60.] CHAP1 
man that asketh you a reason of 

1 or, reverence. 

ready to die; we are alarmed if our 
country is invaded by a foe, and the 
enemy already approaches our dwelling. 
The sentiment in the passage before us 
is, that if we sanctify the Lord God 
with proper affections, we shall be de- 
livered from these alarms, and the mind 
will be calm. (1.) The fear of the 
Lord, as Leighton (in loc.) expresses 
it, "as greatest, overtops and nullifies 
all lesser fears: the heart possessed 
with this fear hath no room for the 
other." It is an absorbing emotion ; 
making every thing else comparatively 
of no importance. If we fear God, we 
havp nothing else to fear. The highest 
emjtion which there can be in the soul 
is the fear of God ; and when that 
exists, the soul will be calm amidst all 
that might tend otherwise to disturb it. 
" What time I r*m afraid," says David, 
« I will trust in thee." Ps. Ivi. 3. " We 
are not careful," said Daniel and his 
friends, " to answer thee, O king. Our 
God can deliver us ; but if not, we will 
not worship the image." Dan. iii. 16. 
(2.) If we sanctify the Lord God in our 
hearts, there will be a belief that he will 
do all things well, and the mind will be 
calm. However dark his dispensations 
may be, we shall be assured that every 
thing is ordered aright. In a storm 
at sea, a child may be calm when he 
feels that his father is at the helm, and 
assures him that there is no danger. 
In a battle, the mind of the soldier may 
De calm, if he has confidence in his 
commander, and he assures him that all 
is safe. So in any thing, if we have the 
assurance that the best thing is done 
that can be ; that the issues will all be 
right, the mind will be calm. But in 
this respect the highest confidence that 
can exist, is that which is reposed in 
God. (3.) There will be the assurance 
that all is safe. "Though I walk," 
says David, " through the valley of the 
ihadow of death, I will fear no evil, for 



ER III. 19t) 

the hope that is in you with 
meekness and 1 fear. 

thou art with me." Ps. xxiii. 4. " The 
Lord is my light and my salvation ; 
whom shall I fear 1 The Lord is the 
strength of my life, of whom shall I be 
afraid 1" Ps. xxvii. 1, "God is our 
refuge and strength, a very present help 
in trouble : therefore will not we fear, 
though the earth be removed, and 
though the mountains be carried into 
the midst of the sea ; though the waters 
thereof roar and be troubled, though 
the mountains shake with the swelling 
thereof." Ps. xlvi. 1 — 3. Let us ever 
then regard the Lord as holy, just, and 
good. Let us flee to him in all the 
trials of the present life, and in the 
hour of death repose on his arm. 
Every other source of trust will fail ; 
and whatever else may be our reliance, 
when the hour of anguish approaches, 
that reliance will fail, and that which 
we dreaded will overwhelm us. Nor 
riches, nor honours, nor earthly friends, 
can save us from those alarms, or be a 
security for our souls when « the rains 
descend, and the floods come, and the 
winds blow* upon us. IT And be ready 
always. That is, (a) be always able 
to do it; have such reasons for the 
hope that is in you that they can be 
stated ; or, have good and substantial 
reasons; and (6) be willing to state 
those reasons on all proper occasions. 
No man ought to entertain opinions 
for which a good reason cannot be 
given ; and every man ought to be 
willing to state the grounds of his hope 
on all proper occasions. A Christian 
should have such intelligent views of 
the truth of his religion, and such con- 
stant evidence in his own heart and 
life that he is a child of God, as to be 
able at any time to satisfy a candid in- 
quirer that the Bible is a revelation from 
heaven, and that it is proper for him to 
cherish the hope of salvation. IT To 
give an answer. Gr., An apology 
(artohoyuxv)* This word formerly did 



196 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 60 



dot mean, as the word apology does 
now, an excuse for any thing that is 
done as if it were wrong, but a defence 
of any thing. We apply the word now 
to denote something written or said in 
extenuation of what appears to others 
to be wrong, or what might be con- 
strued as wrong, as when we make an 
apology to others for not fulfilling an 
engagement, or for some conduct which 
might be construed as designed neglect. 
The word originally, however, referred 
rather to that which was thought not 
to be true than that which might be 
construed as wrong ; and the defence or 
apology' which Christians were to make 
of their religion, was not on the sup- 
position that others would regard it as 
wrong, but in order to show them that 
it was true. The word here used is 
rendered defence, Acts xxii. 1. Phil. i. 
7, 17; answer, Acts xxv. 16. 1 Cor. 
ix. 3. 2 Tim. iv. 16. 1 Pet. iii. 15; 
and clearing of yourselves in 2 Cor. 
vii. 11. We are not to hold ourselves 
ready to make an apology for our reli- 
gion as if it were a wrong thing to be 
a Christian ; but we are always to be 
ready to give reasons for regarding it as 
true. IT To every man that asketh you. 
Any one has a right respectfully to ask 
another on what grounds he regards 
his religion as true, for every man has 
a common interest in religion, and in 
knowing what is the truth on the sub- 
ject. If any man, therefore, asks us 
candidly and respectfully by what rea- 
sons we have been led to embrace the 
gospel, and on what grounds we regard 
it as true, we are under obligation to 
state those grounds in the best manner 
that we are able. We should regard 
It, not as an impertinent intrusion into 
our private affairs, but as an opportu- 
nity of doing good to others, and to 
honour the Master whom we serve. 
Nay, we should hold ourselves in readi- 
ness to state the grounds of our faith 
and hope, whatever may be the motive 
of the inquirer, and in whatever man- 
ner the request may be made. Those 



who were persecuted for their religion, 
were under obligation to make as good 
a defence of it as they could, and to 
state to their, persecutors the « reason 
of the hope which they entertained 
And so now, if a man attacks our reli- 
gion ; if he ridicules us for being Chris- 
tians ; if he tauntingly asks us what 
reason we have for believing the truth 
of the Bible, it is better to tell him in 
a kind manner, and to meet his taunt 
with a kind and strong argument, than 
to become angry, or to turn away with 
contempt. The best way to disarm 
him is to show him that by embracing 
religion we are not fools in understand- 
ing ; and, by a kind temper, to convince 
him that the influence of religion over 
us when we are abused and insulted 
is a 1 reason' why we should love our 
religion, and why he should too. A 
reason of the hope that is in you. 
Gr., « an account 1 (koyof). That is, 
you are to state on what ground you 
cherish that hope. This refers to the 
whole ground of our hope, and includes 
evidently two things: (1.) The reason 
why we regard Christianity as true, or 
as furnishing a ground of hope for men ; 
and (2.) the reason which we have our- 
selves for cherishing a hope of heaven; 
or the experimental and practical views 
which we have of religion, which con- 
stitutes a just ground of hope. It is 
not improbable that the former of these 
was more directly in the eye of the 
apostle than the latter, though both 
seem to be implied in the direction to 
state the reasons which ought to satisfy 
others that it is proper for us to cherish 
the hope of heaven. The first part of 
this duty — that we are to state the 
reasons why we regard the system of 
religion which we have embraced as 
true — implies that we should be ac- 
quainted with the evidences of the truth 
of Christianity, and be able to state 
them to others. Christianity is founded 
on evidence; and though it cannot be 
supposed that every Christian will be 
able to understand all that is involved 



A D. 60.] CHAP1 

16 Having a good conscience ; 

in what are called the evidences of 
Christianity, or to meet all the objec- 
tions of the enemies of the gospel, yet 
every man who becomes a Christian 
should have such intelligent views of 
religion, and of the evidences of the 
truth of the Bible, that he can show to 
others that the religion which he has 
embraced has claims to their attention, 
or that it is not a mere matter of edu- 
cation, of tradition, or of feeling. It 
should also be an object with every 
Christian to increase his acquaintance 
with the evidences of the truth of reli- 
gion, not only for his own stability and 
comfort in the faith, but that he may 
be able to defend religion if attacked, 
or to guide others if they are desirous 
of knowing what is truth. The second 
part of this duty, that we state the 
reasons which we have for cherishing 
the hope of heaven as a personal mat- 
ter, implies (a) that there should be, in 
fact, a well-founded hope of heaven ; 
that is, that we have evidence that we 
are true Christians, since it is impossi- 
ble to give a 'reason 1 of the hope that 
is in us unless there are reasons for it ; 
(b) that we be able to state in a clear 
and intelligent manner what constitutes 
evidenee of piety, or what should be 
reasonably regarded as such; and (c) 
H.iat we be ever ready to state these 
rtasons. A Christian should always 
be willing to converse about his religion. 
Ho should have such a deep conviction 
of hs truth, of its importance, and of his 
personal interest in it; he should have 
a hope so firm, so cheering, so sustain- 
ing, that he will be always prepared to 
converse on the prospect of heaven, 
and to endeavour to lead others to walk 
in the path to life. IT With meekness. 
With modesty ; without any spirit of 
ostentation ; with gentleness of manner. 
This seems to be added on the suppo- 
sition that they sometimes might be 
rudely assailed ; that the questions 
might be proposed in a spirit of cavil ; 
17* 



'ER III. 197 

that, whereas the/ speak evil of 

that it might be done in a taunting or 
insulting manner. Even though this 
should be done, they were not to fall 
into a passion, to manifest resentment, 
or to retort in an angry and revengeful 
manner, but in a calm and gentle spirit 
they w r ere to state the reasons of their 
faith and hope, and leave the matter 
there. IT And fear. Marg., reverence. 
The sense seems to be, « in the fear of 
God; with a serious and reverent spirit; 
as in the presence of him who sees and 
hears all things.' It evidently does not 
mean with the fear or dread of those 
who propose the question, but with 
that serious and reverent frame of 
mind which is produced by a deep im- 
pression of the importance of the sub- 
ject, and a conscious sense of the 
presence of God. It follows, from the 
injunction of the apostle here, (1.) that 
every professing Christian should have 
clear and intelligent views of his own 
personal interest in religion, or such 
evidences of piety that they can be 
stated to others, and that they can be 
made satisfactory to other minds ; (2.) 
that every Christian, however humble 
his rank, or however unlettered he may 
be, may become a valuable defender of 
the truth of Christianity ; (3.) that we 
should esteem it a privilege to bear our 
testimony to the truth and value of re« 
ligion, and to stand up as the advocates 
of truth in the world. Though we 
may be rudely assailed, it is an honoui 
to speak in defence of religion ; though 
we are persecuted and reviled, it is a 
privilege to b.e permitted in any way to 
show our fellow-men that there is such 
a thing as true religion, and that man 
may cherish the hope of heaven. 

1 6. Having a good conscience. That 
is, a conscience that does not accuse 
you of having done wrong. Whatever 
may be the accusations of your ene- 
mies, so live that you may be at all 
times conscious of uprightness. What, 
ever you suffer, see that you do no* 



198 



I. PETER. 



fA.D. 60. 



you, as of evil doers, they may be ashamed that falsely 



suffer the pangs inflicted by a guilty 
conscience, the anguish of remorse. 
On the meaning of the word conscience, 
see Notes on Rom. ii. 15. The word 
properly means the judgment of the 
mind respecting right and wrong; or 
the judgment which the mind passes 
on the immorality of its own actions, 
when it instantly approves or condemns 
them. There is always a feeling of 
obligation connected with the opera- 
tions of conscience, which precedes, 
attends, and follows our actions. " Con- 
science is first occupied in ascertaining 
our duty, before we proceed to action ; 
then in judging of our actions when 
performed." A ' good conscience' im- 
plies two things : (1.) That it be pro- 
perly enlightened to know what is right 
and wrong, or that it be not under the 
dominion of ignorance, superstition, or 
fanaticism, prompting us to do what 
would be a violation of the divine law ; 
and (2.) that its dictates be always 
obeyed. Without the first of these, — 
clear views of that which is right and 
wrong, — conscience becomes an unsafe 
guide ; for it merely prompts us to do 
what we esteem to be right, and if our 
views of what is right and wrong are 
erroneous, we may be prompted to do 
what may be a direct violation of the 
law of God. Paul thought he 1 ought'' 
to do many things contrary to the name 
of Jesus of Nazareth (Acts xxvi. 9) ; 
the Saviour said, respecting his disci- 
ples, that the time would come when 
whosoever should kill them would think 
that they were doing God service (John 
xvi. 2) ; and Solomon says, " There is 
a way which seemeth right unto a man, 
but the end thereof are the ways of 
death" (Prov. xiv. 12; xvi. 25). Un- 
der an unenlightened and misguided 
conscience, with the plea and pretext 
of religion, the most atrocious crimes 
have been committed; and no man 
should infer that he is certainly doing 
right, because he follows the prompt- 



ings of conscience. No man, indeed, 
should act against the dictates of his 
conscience ; but there may have been 
a previous wrong in not using proper 
means to ascertain what is right. Con- 
science is not revelation, nor does it 
answer the purpose of a revelation. It 
communicates no new truth to the soul, 
and is a safe guide only so far as the 
mind has been properly enlightened to 
see what is truth and duty. Its office 
is to prompt us to the performance of 
duty, not to determine what is right. 
The other thing requisite that we may 
have a good conscience is, that its de- 
cisions should be obeyed. Conscience 
is appointed to be the « vice-gerent' of 
God in inflicting punishment, if his 
commands are not obeyed. It pro- 
nounces a sentence on our own con 
duct. Its penalty is remorse; and that 
penalty will be demanded if its prompt- 
ings be not regarded. It is an admira- 
ble device, as a part of the moral go- 
vernment of God, urging man to the 
performance of duty, and, in case of 
disobedience, making the mind its own 
executioner. There is no penalty that 
will more certainly be inflicted, sooner 
or later, than that incurred by a guilty 
conscience. It needs no witnesses ; no 
process for arresting the offender; no 
array of judges and executioners; no 
stripes, imprisonment, or bonds. Its 
inflictions will follow the offender into 
the most secluded retreat: overtake him 
in his most rapid flight; find him out 
in northern snows or on the sands of 
the equator ; go into the most splendid 
palaces, and seek out the victim when 
he is safe from all the vengeance that 
man can inflict; pursue him into the 
dark valley of the shadow of death, 
or arrest him as a fugitive in distant 
worlds. No one, therefore, can over- 
estimate the importance of having a 
good conscience. A true Christian 
should aim, by incessant study and 
prayer, to know what is right, and 



A.D. 60.1 



CHAPTER III. 



199 



accuse your good conversation 
in Christ. 

17 For it is better, if the v/ill 

ac.2. 21. b 2 Co. 5.21. 

then always do it, no matter what may 
be the consequences. IT That, whereas 
they speak evil of you. They who^are 
your enemies and persecutors. Chris- 
tians are not to hope that men will 
always speak well of them. Matt. v. 
11. Luke vi. 26. IT As evil doers. 
Notes, ch. ii. 12. IT They may be 
ashamed. They may see that they 
have misunderstood your conduct, and 
regret that they have treated you as 
they have. We should expect, if we 
are faithful and true, that even our en- 
emies will yet appreciate our motives, 
and do us justice. Comp. Ps. xxxvii. 
5, 6. IT That falsely accuse your good 
conversation in Christ. Your good 
conduct as Christians. They may 
accuse you of insincerity, hypocrisy, 
dishonesty ; of being enemies of the 
state, or of monstrous crimes, but the 
time will come when they will see their 
error, and do you justice. See Notes 
on ch. ii. 12. 

17. For it is better, if the will of 
God be so. That is, if God sees it to 
be necessary for your good that you 
should suffer, it is better that you 
should suffer for doing well than for 
crime. God often sees it to be neces- 
sary that his people should suffer. 
There are effects to be accomplished 
by affliction which can be secured in 
no other way ; and some of the hap- 
piest results on the soul of a Christian, 
some of the brightest traits of character, 
are the effect of trials. But it should 
be our care that our sufferings should 
not be brought upon us for our own 
crimes or follies. No man can promote 
his own highest good by doing wrong, 
and then enduring the penalty which 
his sin incurs; and no one should do 
wrong with any expectation that it may 
be overruled for his own good. If we 
are to suffer, let it be by the direct hand 



of God be. so, that ye suffer for 
well doing than for evil doing. 

18 For Christ also hath once 
suffered for sins, the just fi for the 

of God, and not by any fault of our 
own. If we suffer then, we shall have 
the testimony of our own conscience 
in our favour, and the feeling that we 
may go to God for support. If we 
suffer for our faults, in addition to the 
outward pain of body, we shall endure 
the severest pangs which man can suf- 
fer — those which the guilty mind in- 
flicts on itself. 

1 8. For Christ also hath once suf- 
fered for sins. Comp. Notes on ch. 
ii. 21. The design of the apostle in 
this reference to the sufferings of Christ, 
is evidently to remind them that he 
suffered as an innocent being and not 
for any wrong-doing, and to encourage 
and comfort them in their sufferings 
by his example. The reference to his 
sufferings leads him (vs. 18 — 22) into 
a statement of the various ways in 
which Christ suffered, and of his ulti- 
mate triumph. By his example in his 
sufferings, and by his final triumph, the 
apostle would encourage those whom 
he addressed to bear with patience the 
sorrows to which their religion exposed 
them. He assumes that all suffering for 
adhering to the gospel is the result of 
well-doing ; and for an encouragement 
in their trials, he refers them to the ex- 
ample of Christ, the highest instance 
that ever was, or ever will be, both of 
well-doing, and of suffering on account 
of it. The expression, 1 hath once suf- 
ered,' in the New Testament, means 
once for all ; once, in the sense that it 
is not to occur again. Comp. Heb. vii. 
27. The particular point here, how- 
ever, is not that he once suffered ; it is 
that he had in fact suffered, and that in 
doing it he had left an example for them 
to follow. IT The just for the unjust. 
The one who was just (Sixaioi), on ac- 
count of, or in the place of, those who 
were unjust (vitsp &£lxw) ; or one who 



200 



i. PETER. 



[A. D. 60. 



unjust, that he might bring us 



to God, being put to 

a Ro. 4. 25. 



death in 



was righteous, on account of those who 
were wicked. Comp. Notes on Rom. 
v. 6. 2 Cor. v. 21. Heb. ix. 28. The 
idea on which the apostle would parti- 
cularly fix their attention was, that he 
was just or innocent. Thus he was 
an example to those who suffered for 
well-doing. IT That he might bring 
us to God. That his death might be 
the means of reconciling sinners to 
God. Comp. Notes on John iii. 14; 
xii. 32. It is through that death that 
mercy is proclaimed to the guilty ; it 
is by that alone that God can be recon- 
ciled to men ; and the fact that the Son 
of God loved men, and gave himself a 
sacrifice for them, enduring such bitter 
sorrows, is the most powerful appeal 
which can be made to mankind to in- 
duce them to return to God. There is 
no appeal which can be made to us 
more powerful than one drawn from 
the fact that another suffers on our 
account. We could resist the argu- 
ment which a father, a mother, or a 
sister would use to reclaim us from a 
course of sin ; but if we perceive that 
our conduct involves them in suffering, 
that fact has a power over us which no 
mere argument could have. IT Being 
put to death in the jlesh. As a man ; 
in his human nature. Comp. Notes, 
Rom. i. 3, 4. There is evidently a 
contrast here between ' the flesh' in 
which it is said he was « put to death,' 
and « the spirit' by which it is said that 
ne was « quickened.' The words < in 
the flesh'' are clearly designed to denote 
something that was peculiar in his 
death ; for it is a departure from the 
usual method of speaking of death. 
How singular would it be to say of 
Isaiah, Paul, or Peter, that they were 
put to death in the flesh! How obvi- 
ous would it be to ask, In what other 
way are men usually put to death ? 
What was there peculiar in their case, 



the flesh, but quickened by the 
Spirit : 



which would distinguish their death 
from the death of others 1 The use of 
this phrase would suggest the thought 
at once, that though, in regard to that 
which was properly expressed by the 
phrase, * the flesh,' they died, yet that 
there was something else in respect to 
which they did not die. Thus, if it 
were said of a man that he was de- 
prived of his rights as a father, it 
would be implied that in other respects 
he was not deprived of his rights ; and 
this would be especially true if it were 
added that he continued to enjoy his 
rights as a neighbour, or as holding an 
office under the government. The 
only proper inquiry, then, in this place 
is, What is fairly implir d in the phrase 
the flesh? Does if mr-aia simply his 
body, as distinguished from his human 
soul % or does it refer to him as a man, 
as distinguished from some higher na- 
ture, over which death had no power] 
Now, that the latter is the meaning, 
seems to me to be apparent, for these 
reasons: (1.) It is the usual way of 
denoting the human nature of the Lord 
Jesus, or of saying that he became in- 
carnate, or was a man, to speak of his 
being in the flesh. See Rom. i. 2 : 
" Made of the seed of David according 
to the flesh." John i. 14 : " And the 
Word was made flesh." 1 Tim. iii. 
16 : " God was manifest in the flesh." 
1 John iv. 2 : « Every spirit that con- 
fesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the 
flesh, is of God." 2 John 7 : « Who 
confess not that Jesus Christ is come 
in the flesh." (2.) So far as appears, 
the effect of death on the human sou, 
of the Redeemer was the same as in 
the case of the soul of any other per- 
son ; in other words, the effect of death 
in his case was not confined to the 
mere body or the flesh. Death, with 
him, was what death is in any other 
case — the separation of the sou* and 



A. D. GO.] 



CHAPTER III. 



20i 



body, with all the attendant pain of 
such dissolution. It is not true that 
his 'flesh? as such, died, without the 
ordinary accompaniments of death on 
the soul, so that it could be said that 
the one died, and the other was kept 
alive. The purposes of the atonement 
required that he should meet death in 
the usual form; that the great laws 
which operate everywhere else in re- 
gard to dissolution, should exist in his 
case ; nor is there in the Scriptures 
any intimation that there was, in this 
respect, any thing peculiar in his case. 
If his soul had been exempt from what- 
ever there is involved in death in rela- 
tion to the spirit, it is unaccountable 
that there is no hint on this point in 
the sacred narrative. But if this be so, 
then the expression <in the flesh , refers 
to him as a man, and means, that so 
far as his human nature was concerned, 
he died. In another important respect, 
he did not die. On the meaning of 
the word flesh in the New Testament, 
see Notes on Rom. i. 3. IT But quick- 
ened. Made alive (gcoortoiy^sii). This 
does not mean kept alive, but made 
alive; recalled to life; reanimated. 
The word is never used in the sense 
of maintained alive, or preserved alive. 
Compare the following places, which 
are the only ones in which it occurs in 
the New Testament. John v. 21, twice; 
vi. 63. Rom.iv. 17; viii. 11. 1 Cor. xv. 
36, 45. 1 Tim. vi. 13. 1 Pet. iii. 18 ; 
in all which it is rendered quickened, 
quicken, quickeneth; 1 Cor. xv. 22, be 
made alive; 2 Cor. iii. 6, giveth life; 
and Gal. iii. 21, have given life. « Once 
the word refers to God, as he who giveth 
life to all creatures, 1 Tim. vi. 13 ; three 
times it refers to the life-giving power of 
the Holy Ghost, or of the doctrines of the 
gospel; John vi. 63. 2 Cor. iii. 6. Gal. 
iii. 21 ; seven times it is used with direct 
reference to the raising of the dead. John 
v. 21. Rom. iv. 17; viii. 11. 1 Cor. xv. 
22, 36, 45. 1 Pet. iii. 18.' See Bibl. 
Repos., April, 1845, p. 269. See also 
Passow, and Robinson, Lex. The 



sense, then, cannot be, that in reference 
to his soul or spirit, he was preserved 
alive when his body died, but that there 
was some agency or power, restoring 
him to life, or reanimating him after 
he was dead. By the Spirit. Ac- 
cording to the common reading in the 
Greek, this is ?q Hvsv^wti — with the 
article the — < the Spirit.' Hahn, Titt- 
man, and Griesbach omit the article, 
and then the reading is, ' quickened in 
spirit;' and thus the reading corresponds 
with the former expression, < in flesh' 
(tfapxt)), where the article also is want- 
ing. The word spirit, so far as the 
mere use of the word is concerned, 
might refer to his own soul, to his di- 
vine nature, or to the Holy Spirit. It 
is evident (1.) that it does not refer to 
his own soul, for, (a) as we have seen, 
the reference in the former clause is to 
his human nature, including all that 
pertained to him as a man, body and 
soul; (&) there was no power in his 
own spirit, regarded as that appertain- 
ing to his human nature, to raise him 
up from the dead, any more than there 
is such a power in any other human 
soul. That power does not belong to 
a human soul in any of its relations or 
conditions. (2.) It seems equally clear 
that this does not refer to the Holy 
Spirit, or the third Person of the Tri- 
nity, for it may be doubted whether the 
work of raising the dead is anywhere 
ascribed to that Spirit. His peculiar 
province is to enlighten, awaken, con- 
vict, convert, and sanctify the soul ; to 
apply the work of redemption to the 
hearts of men, and to lead them to God. 
This influence is moral, not physical ; 
an influence accompanying the truth, 
not the exertion of mere physical jpoiyer. 
(3.) It remains, then, that the reference 
is to his own divine nature — a nature 
by which he was restored to life after 
he was crucified ; — to the Son of God, 
regarded as the second Person of the 
Trinity. This appears, not only from 
the facts above stated, but also (a) from 
the connection. It is stated that it was 



202 I. PI 

19 By which also he went and 

a Is. 42 7. 

in or by this spirit t'jiat he went and 
preached in the days of Noah. But it 
was not his spirit as a man that did 
this, for his human soul had then no 
existence. Yet it seems that he did 
this personally or directly, and not by 
the influences of the Holy Spirit, for it 
is said that < he went and preached.' 
The reference, therefore, cannot be to 
the Holy Ghost, and the fair conclusion 
is that it refers to his divine nature. 
(6) This accords with what the apostle 
Paul says (Rom. i. 3, 4), " which was 
made of the seed oC David according to 
the flesh," — that is, in respect to his 
human nature, — "and declared to be 
the Son of God with power, according 
to the Spirit of holiness," — that is, in 
respect to his divine natnre, — " by the 
resurrection from the dead." See Notes 
on that passage, (c) It accords with 
what the Saviour himself says (John 
x. 17, 18); "I lay down my life, that 
I might take it again. No man taketh 
it from me, but I lay it down of myself. 
I have power to lay it down, and I 
have power to take it again." This 
must refer to his divine nature, for it is 
impossible to conceive that a human 
soul should have the power of restoring 
its former tenement, the body, to life. 
See Notes on the passage. The con- 
clusion, then, to which we have come, 
is, that the passage means, that as a 
man, a human being, he was put to 
death; in respect to a higher nature, 
or by a higher nature, here denominated 
Spirit (Jlvevfia), he was restored to 
life. As a man, he died ; as the incar- 
nate Son of God, the Messiah, he was 
made alive again by the power of his 
own divine spirit, and exalted to heaven. 
Comp. Robinson's Lex. on the word 
Uvsvpa, U. 

19. By which. Evidently by the 
spirit referred to in the previous verse 
— iv 9- the divine nature of the Son 
c r God ; that by which he was < quick- 



TER. [A. D. 60 

preached unto the spirits in pri- 
son ; a 

ened' again after he had been put to 
death ; the Son of God regarded as a 
divine being, or in that same nature 
which afterwards became incarnate, 
and whose agency was employed in 
quickening the man Christ Jesus, who 
had been put to death. The meaning 
is, that the same ' spirit' which was 
efficacious in restoring him to life, after 
he was put to death, was that by which 
he preached to the spirits in prison. 
IT He went. To wit, in the days or* 
Noah. No particular stress should be 
laid here on the phrase « he went? The 
literal sense is, < he hating gone, 
preached,' &c. — ftop$v&d$* It is well 
known that such expressions are often 
redundant in Greek writers, as in others 
So Herodotus, « to these things they 
spake, saying'' — for they said. 1 And 
he, speaking, said / that is, he said. 
So Eph. ii. 17. « And came and preach- 
ed peace,' &c. Matt. ix. 13. 'But go 
and learn what that meaneth,' &c. So 
God is often represented as coming, as 
descending, &c, when he brings a 
message to mankind. Thus Gen. xi. 5. 
" The Lord came down to see the city 
and the tower." Ex. xix. 20. "The 
Lord came down upon Mount Sinai." 
Num. xi. 25. "The Lord came down 
in a cloud." 2 Sam. xxii. 10. "He 
bowed the heavens, and came down." 
The idea, however, would be conveyed 
by this language that he did this per- 
sonally, or by himself, and not merely 
by employing the agency of another. It 
would then be implied here that, though 
the instrumentality of Noah was em- 
ployed, yet that it was done not by the 
Holy Spirit, but by him who afterwards 
became incarnate. On the supposition, 
therefore, that this whole passage refers 
to his preaching to the antediluvians 
in the time of Noah, and not to the 
< spirits' after they were confined in 
prison, this is language which the 
apostle would have properly and pro- 



A. D. I /.] 



CHAPTER III. 



203 



bably l ed. If that supposition, meets 
the full force of the language, then no 
argum mt can be based on it in proof 
that hfi went to preach to them after 
their death, and while his body was 
lying Li the grave. IT And preached. 
The word used here (ixr^v^sv) is of a 
general character, meaning to make a 
prociamation of any kind, as a crier 
doer, jr, to deliver a message, and does 
not 3 jcessarily imply that it was the 
gosp \ which was preached, nor does 
it de ermine any thing in regard to the 
natir s of the message. It is not af- 
firm* 1 that he preached the gospel, for 
if th&l specific idea had been expressed 
it would have been rather by another 
word — fvayys^co. The word here 
used would be appropriate to such a 
message as Noah brought to his co- 
temporaries, or to any communication 
which God made to men. See Matt, 
iii. 1 ; iv. 17. Mark i. 35 ; v. 20 ; vii. 
36. It is implied in the expression, 
as already remarked, that he did this 
himself; that it was the Son of God 
who subsequently became incarnate, 
and not the Holy Spirit, that did this; 
though the language is consistent with 
the supposition that he did it by the 
instrumentality of another, to wit, Noah. 
Quifacit per aliurn, facit per se. God 
really proclaims a message to mankind 
when he does it by the instrumentality 
of the prophets, or apostles, or other 
ministers of religion ; and all that is 
necessarily implied in this language 
would be met by the supposition that 
Christ delivered a message to the ante- 
diluvian race by the agency of Noah. 
No argument, therefore, can be derived 
from this language to prove that Christ 
went and personally preached to those 
who were confined in Hades or in pri- 
son. r i Unto the. spirits in prison. 
That is, clearly, to the spirits now in 
prison, for this is the fair meaning of 
the passage. The obvious sense is, 
that Peter supposed there were < spirits 
in prison' at the time when he wrote, 
and that to those same spirits the Son 



of God had at some time < preached,' 
or had made some proclamation re- 
specting the will of God. As this is 
the only passage in the New Testa- 
ment on which the Romish doctrine of 
purgatory is supposed to rest, it is im- 
portant to ascertain the fair meaning 
of the language here employed. There 
are three obvious inquiries in ascer* 
taining its signification. Who are re- 
ferred to by spirits P What is meant 
by in prison ? Was the message 
brought to them while in the prison, 
or at some previous period ] L Who 
are referred to by spirits ? The spe- 
cification in the next verse determines 
this. They were those < who were 
sometime disobedient, when once the 
long suffering of God waited in the 
days of Noah.' No others are speci- 
fied ; and if it should be maintained 
that this means that he went down to 
hell, or to Sheol, and preached to those 
who are confined there, it could be 
inferred from this passage only that he 
preached to that portion of the lost 
spirits confined there which belonged 
to the particular generation in which 
Noah lived. Why he should do this ; 
or how there should be such a separa- 
tion made in Hades that it could be 
done ; or what was the nature of the 
message which he delivered to that 
portion, are questions which it is im- 
possible for any man who holds to the 
opinion that Christ went down to hell 
after his death to preach, to answer. 
But if it means that he preached to 
those who lived in the days of Noah, 
while they were yet alive, the question 
will be asked why are they called 
1 spirits V Were they spirits then, oi 
were they men like others'? To th. 
the answer is easy. Peter speaks ot 
them as they were when he wrote ; not 
as they had been, or were at the time 
when the message was preached to 
them. The idea is, that to those spi- 
rits who were then in prison who had 
formerly lived in the days of Noah, 
the message had been in fact delivered. 



204 



L PETER. 



[A. D. 60. 



It was not necessary to speak of them 
precisely as they were at the time when 
it was delivered, but only in such a 
way as to identify them. We should 
use similar language now. If we saw 
a company of men in prison who had 
seen better days — a multitude now 
drunken, and debased, and poor, and 
riotous, it would not be improper to say 
that 4 the prospect of wealth and honour 
was once held out to this ragged and 
wretched multitude.'* All that is need- 
ful is to identify them as the same 
persons who once had this prospect. 
In regard to the inquiry, then, who 
these « spirits' were, there can be no 
difference of opinion. They were that 
wicked race which lived in the days 
of Noah. There is no allusion in this 
passage to any other; there is no in- 
timation that to any others of those 
< in prison' the message here referred 
to had been delivered. II. What is 
meant by prison here] Purgatory, or 
the limbus patrurn, say the Romanists 
— a place in which departed souls are 
supposed to be confined, and in which 
their final destiny may still be affected 
by the purifying fires which they en- 
dure ; by the prayers of the living, or 
by a message in some way conveyed 
to their gloomy abodes — in which such 
sins may be expiated as do not deserve 
eternal damnation. The Syriac here 
is * in Sheol? referring to the abodes of 
the dead, or the place in which departed 
spirits are supposed to dwell. The 
word rendered prison (fyvTonxq), means 
properly watch, guard — the act of 
keeping watch, or the guard itself; then 
watch-post, or station ; then a place 
where any one is watched or guarded, 
as a prison ; then a watch in the sense 
of a division of the night, as the morn- 
ing watch. It is used in the New 
Testament, with reference to the future 
world, only in the following places : 
1 Pet. iii. 19. "Preached unto the spi- 
rits in prison and Rev. xx. 7. " Sa- 
tan shall be loosed out of his prison. 91 
An idea similar to the one here ex- 



pressed may be found in 2 Pet. ii. 4, 
though the word prison does not there 
occur: "God spared not the angels 
that sinned, but cast them down to hell, 
and delivered them unto chains of 
darkness, to be reserved unto judg- 
ment ;" and in Jude 6. " x\nd the an- 
gels which kept not their first estate, 
but left their own habitation, he hath 
reserved in everlasting chains, under 
darkness, unto the judgment of the 
great day." The allusion, in the pas 
sage before us, is undoubtedly to con- 
finement or imprisonment in the invi- 
sible world ; and perhaps to those who 
are reserved there with reference to 
some future arrangement — for this idea 
enters commonly into the use of the 
word prison. There is, however, no 
specification of the place where this is; 
no intimation that it is purgatory — 
a place where the departed are sup- 
posed to undergo purification ; no inti- 
mation that their condition can be af- 
fected by any thing that we can do ; 
no intimation that those particularly 
referred to differ in any sense from the 
others who are confined in that world ; 
no hint that they can be released by 
any prayers or sacrifices of ours. This 
passage, therefore, cannot be adduced 
to support the Roman Catholic doc- 
trine of purgatory, for (1.) The essen- 
tial ideas which enter into the doctrine 
of purgatory are not to be found in the 
word here used ; (2.) There is no evi- 
dence in the fair interpretation of the 
passage that any message is borne to 
them while in prison ; (.3.) There is 
not the slightest hint that they can be 
released by any prayers or offerings of 
those who dwell on the earth. The 
simple idea is that of persons confined 
as in a prison ; and the passage will 
prove only that in the time when the 
apostle wrote there were those who 
were thus confined. III. Was the mes 
sage brought to them while in prison, 
or at some previous period ? The Ro- 
manists say that it was while in pri- 
son ; that Christ, after he was put tt 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER III. 



2(E 



30 Which sometime were dis- 
obedient, when once a the long 

a Ge. 6, &c. 

Juath in the body, was still kept alive 
j'w his spirit, and went and proclaimed 
his gospel to those who were in prison. 
6o Bloomfield maintains (in loc), and 
xo CEcumenius and Cyril, as quoted 
b\ Bloomfield. But against this view, 
there are plain objections drawn from 
the language of Peter himself. (1.) 
As we have seen, the fair interpretation 
of the passage < quickened by the Spi- 
rit,' is n«4 that he was kept alive as to 
his human soul, but that he, after being 
dead, was made alive by his own divine 
energy. (2.) If the meaning be that 
he went and preached after his death, 
it seems difficult to know why the re- 
ference is to those only who * had been 
disobedient in the days of Noah.' Why 
were they alone selected for this mes- 
sage ? Are they separate from others 1 
Were they the only ones in purgatory 
who could be beneficially affected by 
his preaching 1 On the other method 
of interpretation, we can suggest a rea- 
son why they were particularly speci- 
fied. But how can we on this ] (3.) 
The language employe^ does not de- 
mand this interpretation. Its full mean- 
ing is met by the interpretation that 
Christ once preached to the spirits 
then in prison, to wit, in the days of 
Noah ; that is, that he caused a divine 
message to be borne to them. Thus 
it would be proper to say < that White- 
field came to America, and preached to 
the souls in perdition or to go among 
the graves of the first settlers of New 
Haven, and say, * Davenport came from 
England to preach to the dead men 
around us.' (4.) This interpretation 
accords with the design of the apostle 
in inculcating the duty of patience and 
forbearance in trials ; in encouraging 
those whom he addressed to be patient 
;n their persecutions. See the analysis 
of the chapter. With this object in 
view, there was entire propriety in di- 
18 



suffering of God waited in the 
days of Noah, while the ark was 
a preparing, wherein few, that 

reeling them to the long suffering and 
forbearance evinced by the Saviour, 
through Noah. He was opposed, re- 
viled, disbelieved, and, we may suppose, 
persecuted. It was to the purpose to 
direct them to the fact that he was saved 
as the result of his steadfastness to him 
who had commanded him to preach to 
that ungodly generation. But what 
pertinency would there have been in 
saying that Christ went down to hell, 
and delivered some sort of a message 
there, we know not what, to those whe 
are confined there] 

20. Which sometime were disobe- 
dient. Which were once, or formerly 
(riots) disobedient, or rebellious. The 
language here does not imply that they 
had ceased to be disobedient, or that 
they had become obedient at the time 
when the apostle wrote ; but the object 
is to direct the attention to a former 
race of men characterized by disobe- 
dience, and to show the patience 
evinced under their provocations, in 
endeavouring to do them good. Ti 
say that men were formerly rebellious, 
or rebellious in a specified age, is m 
evidence that they are otherwise no^, 
The meaning here is, that they did noi 
obey the command of God when he 
called them to repentance by tha 
preaching of Noah. Comp. 2 Pet. ii, 
5, where Noah is called " a preacher of 
righteousness." H When once the long 
suffering of God waited in the days 
of Noah. God waited on that guilty 
race a hundred and twenty years (Gen. 
vi. 3), a period sufficiently protracted 
to evince his long suffering toward one 
generation. It is not improbable that 
during that whole period Noah was, in 
various ways, preaching to that wicked 
generation. Comp. Notes on Heb. xk 7. 
IT While the ark was a preparing. It 
is probable that preparations were made 
for building the ark during a consider- 



206 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 60. 



is, eight SMiiftj were saved by 
water. 



able portion of that time. St. Peter's, 
at Rome, was a much longer time in 
building; and it is to be remembered 
that in the age of the world when Noah 
lived, and with the imperfect know- 
ledge of the arts of naval architecture 
which must have prevailed, it was a 
much more serious undertaking to con- 
struct an ark that would hold such a 
variety and such a number of animals 
as that was designed to, and that would 
float safely for more than a year in a 
universal flood, than it was to construct 
such a fabric as St. Peter's, in the days 
when that edifice was reared. IT Where- 
in few, that is, eight souls. Eight 
persons, Noah and his wife, his three 
sons and their wives. Gen. vii. 7. 
The allusion to their being saved here, 
seems to be to encourage those whom 
Peter addressed to perseverance and 
fidelity in the midst of all the opposi- 
tion which they might experience. 
Noah was not disheartened. Sustained 
by the Spirit of Christ — the presence 
of the Son of God — he continued to 
preach. He did not abandon his pur- 
pose, and the result was, that he was 
saved. True, they were few in num- 
ber who were saved. The great mass 
continued to be wicked ; but this very 
fact should be an encouragement to us 
— that though the great mass of any 
one generation may be wicked, God 
can protect and save the few who are 
faithful. IT By water. They were 
borne up by the waters, and were thus 
preserved. The thought on which the 
apostle makes his remarks turn, and 
which leads him in the next verse to 
the suggestions about baptism, is, that 
water was employed in their preserva- 
tion, or that they owed their safety in 
an important sense to that element. 
In like manner we owe our salvation, 
in an important sense, to water ; or, 
there is an important agency which it 



21 The like figure whereunto, 
even baptism, ° doth also now 

a Ep. 5. 26. 

is made to perform in our salvation. 
The apostle does not say that it was 
in the same way, or that the one was 
a type designed to represent the other, 
or even that the efficacy of water was 
in both cases the same ; but he says 
that as Noah owed his salvation to 
water, so there is an important sense 
in which water is employed in ours. 
There is in certain respects — he does 
not say in all respects — a resemblance 
between the agency of water in the 
salvation of Noah, and the agency of 
water in our salvation. In both cases 
water is employed, though it may not 
be that it is in the same manner, or 
with precisely the same efficacy. 

21. The like whereunto, even bap- 
tism, doth also now save us. There 
are some various readings here in the 
Greek text, but the sense is not es- 
sentially varied. Some have proposed 
to read (£) to which, instead of (6) 
which, so as to make the sense « the 
antetype to which baptism now also 
saves us.' The antecedent to the rela- 
tive, whichever word is used, is clearly 
not the ark, but water, and the idea is, 
that as Noah was saved by water, so 
there is a sense in which water is made 
instrumental in our salvation. The 
mention of water in the case of Noah 
in connection with his being saved, 
by an obvious association suggested to 
the mind of the apostle the use of water 
in our salvation, and hence led him to 
make the remark about the connection 
of baptism with our salvation. The 
Greek word here rendered figure, 
(avtltv7tov) antetype, means properly 
resisting a blow or impression (from 
awtl and tfikos) ; that is, hard, solid. 
In the New Testament, however, it is 
used in a different sense, and (avti) 
anh, in composition, implies resem- 
blance, correspondence ; and hence the 
word means formed after a type o) 



A. D. 60.] CHAPTER HL 207 

.-ave us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the an- 

model ; like ; corresponding • that 
which corresponds to a type. Rob. 
Lex. The word occurs only in this 
place and Heb. ix. 24, rendered figures* 
The meaning here is, that baptism cor- 
responded to, or had a resemblance to, 
the water by which Noah was saved 5 
or that there was a use of water in the 
one case which corresponded in some 
respects to the water that was used in 
the other, to wit, in effecting salvation. 
The apostle does not say that it cor- 
responded in all respects: in respect, 
e. g., to quantity, or to the manner of 
the application, or to the efficacy ; but 
there is a sense in which water performs 
an important part in our salvation, as 
it did in his. IT Baptism, Not the 
mere application of water, for that idea 
the apostle expressly disclaims, when 
he says that it involves not < the putting 
away the filth of the flesh, but the an- 
swer of a good conscience toward God.' 
The sense is, that baptism, including all 
that is properly meant by baptism as a 
religious rite; that is, baptism adminis- 
tered in connection with true repent- 
ance, and true faith in the Lord Jesus, 
and when it is properly a symbol of 
the putting away of sin, and of the 
renewing influences of the Holy Spirit, 
and an act of unreserved dedication to 
God, now saves us. On the meaning 
of the word baptism, see Notes on 
Matt. iii. 6. IT Doth also now save us. 
The water saved Noah and his family 
from perishing in the flood, to wit, by 
bearing up the ark. Baptism, in the 
proper sense of the term, as above 
explained, where the water used is a 
symbol, in like manner now saves us; 
that is, the water is an emblem of that 
purifying by which we are saved. It 
may be said to save us, not as the 
meritorious cause, but as the indispens- 
able condition of salvation. No man 
car be saved without lhat regenerated 
ana purified heart of which baptism is 
the appropriate symbol, and when it 



would be proper to administer that or- 
dinance. The apostle cannot have 
meant that water saves us in the same 
way in which it saved Noah, for that 
cannot be true. It is neither the same 
in quantity, nor is it applied in the 
same way, nor is it efficacious in the 
same manner. It is indeed connected 
with our salvation in its own proper 
way, as an emblem of that purifying 
of the heart by which we are saved. 
Thus it corresponds with the salvation 
of Noah by water, and is the {p.vtmv7iov) 
antetype of that. Nor does it mean 
that the salvation of Noah by water 
was designed to be a type of Christian 
baptism. There is not the least evi- 
dence of that ; and it should not be 
affirmed without proof. The apostle 
saw a resemblance in some respects 
between the one and the other; such a 
resemblance that the one naturally sug- 
gested the other to his mind, and the 
resemblance was so important as to 
make it the proper ground of remark. 
The points of resemblance in the two 
cases seem to have been these : (1.) 
There was salvation in both ; Noah 
was saved from death, and we from 
hell. (2.) Water is employed in both 
cases — in the case of Noah to uphold 
the ark ; in ours to be a symbol of our 
purification. (3.) The water in both 
cases is connected with salvation ; in 
the case of Noah by sustaining the ark; 
in ours by being a symbol of salvation, 
of purity, of cleansing, of that by 
which we may be brought to God. 
The meaning of this part of the verse, 
therefore, may be thus expressed : 
« Noah and his family were saved by 
water, the antetype to which (to wit, 
that which in important respects corre- 
sponds to that) baptism (not the put- 
ting away of the filth of the flesh, or 
the mere application of material water, 
but that purifying of the heart of which 
it is the appropriate emblem) now saves 
us.' 1 Not the putting away of tht 



208 I. PE 

swer of a good conscience a to- 

a Ac. 8. 37. Ro. 10. 10. 

filth of the flesh. Not a mere exter- 
nal washing, however solemnly done. 
No outward ablution or purifying saves 
us, but that which pertains to the eon- 
science. This important clause is 
thrown in to guard the statement from 
the abuse to which it would otherwise 
be liable, the supposition that baptism 
has of itself a purifying and saving 
power. To guard against this, the 
apostle expressly declares that he means 
much more than a mere outward appli- 
cation of water. IF But the answer of 
a good conscience toward God. The 
word here rendered answer (fjtfptoT'^ta) 
means properly a question, an inquiry. 
It is " spoken of a question put to a 
convert at baptism, or rather of the 
whole process of question and answer; 
that is, by implication, examination, 
profession." Rob. Lex. It is designed 
to mark the spiritual character of the 
baptismal rite in contrast with a mere 
external purification, and evidently re- 
fers to something that occurred at bap- 
tism ; some question, inquiry, or ex- 
amination, that took place then, and it 
would seem to imply (1.) that when 
baptism was performed there was some 
question or inquiry in regard to the 
belief of the candidate ; (2.) that an 
answer was expected implying that 
here was a good conscience ; that is, 
hat the candidate had an enlightened 
conscience, and was sincere in his pro- 
fession ; and (3.) that the real efficacy 
of baptism, or its power in saving, was 
not in the mere external rite, but in the 
state of the heart, indicated by the 
question and answer, of which that was 
the emblem. On the meaning of the 
phrase * a good conscience,' see Notes 
on ver. 16 of this chapter. Comp. on 
this verse, Neander, Geschich der 
Pfianz. u. Leit. der chr. Kirche, i. p. 
203. seq. in Bibl. Reposi. iv. 272, seq. 
It is in the highest degree probable that 
questions would be proposed to candi- 



FER. [A. D. 60, 

ward God,) by the resurrection 
of Jesus Christ 



dates for baptism respecting their belief, 
and we have an instance of this fact 
undoubtedly in the case before us. 
How extensive such examinations 
would be, what points would be em- 
braced, how much reference there was 
to personal experience, we have, of 
course, no certain means of ascertain- 
ing. We may suppose, however, that 
the examination pertained to what con- 
stituted the essential features of the 
Christian religion, as distinguished 
from other systems, and to the cordial 
belief of that system by the candidate. 
IT By the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 
That is, we are saved in this rnannei 
through the resurrection of Jesus 
Christ. The whole efficiency in the 
case is derived from that. If he had 
not been raised from the dead, baptism 
would have been vain, and there would 
have been no power to save us. See 
this illustrated at length in the Notes 
on Rom. vi. 4, 5. The points, there- 
fore, which are established in regard to 
baptism by this important passage are 
these: (1.) That Christian baptism is 
not a mere external rite ; a mere out- 
ward ablution ; a mere application of 
water to the body. It is not contem- 
plated that it shall be an empty form, and 
its essence does not consist in a mere 
< putting away of the filth of the flesh.' 
There is a work to be done in respect 
to the conscience which cannot be 
reached by the application of water 
(2.) That there was an examination 
among the early Christians when a 
candidate was about to be baptized, and 
of course such an examination is pro- 
per now. Whatever was the ground 
of the examination, it related to that 
which existed before the baptism was 
administered. It was not expected 
that it should be accomplished by the 
baptism. There is, therefore, implied 
evidence here that there was no reliance 
placed on that ordinance to produce 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER IH. 



209 



22 Who is gone into heaven, 
and is on the right hand of God ; 

a Ep. 1. 21. 

that which constituted the « answer of 
a good conscience;' in other words, 
that it was not supposed to have an 
efficacy to produce that of itself, and 
was not a converting or regenerating 
ordinance. (3.) The « answer* which 
was returned in the inquiry, was to be 
such as indicated a good conscience ; 
that is, as Bloomfield expresses it, 
(New Tes. in loc.) " that which enables 
us to return such an answer as springs 
from a good conscience towards God, 
which can be no other than the inward 
change and renovation wrought by the 
Spirit." It was supposed, therefore, 
that there would be an internal work 
of grace ; that there would be much 
more than an outward rite in the whole 
transaction. The application of water 
is. in fact, but an emblem or symbol 
of that grace in the heart, and is to be 
administered as denoting that. It does 
not convey grace to the soul by any 
physical efficacy of the water. It is a 
symbol of the purifying influences of 
religion, and is made a means of grace 
in the same way as obedience to any 
other of the commands of God. (4.) 
There is no efficacy in the mere appli- 
cation of water in any form, or with 
any ceremonies of religion, to put 
away sin. It is the * good conscience,' 
the renovated heart, the purified soul, 
of which baptism is the emblem, that 
furnishes evidence of the divine ac- 
ceptance and favour. Comp. Heb. ix. 
9, 10. There must be a deep in- 
ternal work on the soul of man in 
order that he may be acceptable to God, 
and when that is wanting no external 
rite is of any avail. Yet (5.) it does 
not follow from this that baptism is of 
no importance. The argument of the 
apostle here is, that it is of great im- 
portance. Noah wa^ saved by water; 
and so baptism has an important con- 
18* 



angels ° and authorities and 
powers being made subject unto 
him. 



nection with our salvation. As watei 
bore up the ark, and was the means of 
saving Noah, so baptism by water is 
the emblem of our salvation, and when 
administered in connection with a 
' good conscience,' that is, with a reno- 
vated heart, it is as certainly connected 
with our salvation as the sustaining 
waters of the flood were with the sal- 
vation of Noah. No man can prove 
from the Bible that baptism has no im- 
portant connection with salvation ; and 
no man can prove that by neglecting 
it, he will be as likely to obtain the 
divine favour as he would by observing 
it. It is a means of exhibiting great 
and important truths in an impressive 
manner to the soul ; it is a means 
of leading the soul to an entire dedi- 
cation to a God of purity ; it is a 
means through which God manifests 
himself to the soul, and through which 
he imparts grace as he does in all 
other acts of obedience to his command- 
ments. 

22. Who is gone into heaven. Notes 
on Acts i. 9. f And is on the right 
hand of God. Notes on Mark xvi. 19. 
t Angels and authorities and powers 
being made subject unto him. See 
Notes on Eph. i. 20, 21. The reason 
why the apostle here adverts to the fact 
that the Lord Jesus is raised up to the 
right hand of God, and is so honoured 
in heaven, seems to have been to en- 
courage those to whom he wrote to 
persevere in the service of God, though 
they were persecuted. The Lord Jesus 
was in like manner persecuted. He 
was reviled, and rejected, and put to 
death. Yet he ultimately triumphed. 
He was raised from the dead, and was 
exalted to the highest place of honour 
in the universe. Even so they, if they 
did not faint, might hope to come off 
in the end triumphant. As Noah, 



210 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 60. 



who had been faithful and steadfast 
when surrounded by a scoffing world, 
was at last preserved by his faith from 
ruin ; and as the Redeemer, though 
persecuted and put to death, was at last 
exalted to the right hand of God, so 
tfould it be with them if they bore their 
irials patiently, and did not faint or fail 
in the persecutions which they en- 
dured. 

In view of the exposition in vs. 1 
and 2, we may remark, (1.) That it is 
our duty to seek the conversion and 
salvation of our impenitent relatives 
and friends. All Christians have rela- 
tives and friends who are impenitent ; 
it is a rare thing that some of the mem- 
bers of their own families are not so. 
In most families, even Christian fami- 
lies, there is a husband or a wife, a 
father or a mother, a son or daughter, 
a brother or sister, who is not converted. 
To all such, they who are Christians 
owe important duties, and there is none 
more important than that of seeking 
their conversion. That this is a duty 
is clearly implied in this passage in 
reference to a wife, and for the same 
reason it is a duty in reference to all 
other persons. It may be further ap- 
parent from these considerations : («) 
It is an important part of the business 
of all Christians to seek the salvation 
of others. This is clearly the duty of 
ministers of the gospel ; but it is no 
less the duty of all who profess to be 
followers of the Saviour, and to take 
him as their example and guide. Comp. 
James v. 19, 20. (Z>) It is a duty pe- 
culiarly devolving on those who have 
relatives who are unconverted, on ac- 
count of the advantages which they 
have for doing it. They are with them 
constantly ; they have their confidence 
and affection ; they can feel more for 
them than any one else can ; and if 
they are not concerned for their salva- 
tion, they cannot hope that any others 
will be. (c) It is not wholly an im- 
proper motive to seek their salvation 
fi^m me happiness which it would 



confer on those who are already Chris- 
tians. It is not improper that a wife 
should be stimulated to desire the con- 
version of her husband from the in- 
creased enjoyment which she would 
have if her partner in life were united 
with her in the same hope of heaven, 
and from the pleasure which it would 
give to enjoy the privilege of religious 
worship in the family, and the aid 
which would be furnished in training 
up her children in the Lord. A Chris- 
tian wife and mother has important 
duties to perform towards her children ; 
it is not improper that in performing 
those duties she should earnestly desire 
the co-operation of her partner in life. 

(2.) Those who have impenitent 
husbands and friends should be encou- 
raged in seeking their conversion. It 
is plainly implied (vs. 1, 2) that it was 
not to be regarded as a hopeless thing, 
but that in all cases they were to regard 
it as possible that unbelieving husbands 
might be brought to the- knowledge of 
the truth. If this is true of husbands, 
it is no less true of other friends. We 
should never despair of the conversion 
of a friend as long as life lasts, however 
far he may be from the path of virtue 
and piety. The grounds of encourage- 
ment are such as these : (a) You have 
an influence over them which no othei 
one has, and that influence may be re- 
garded as capital, which will give you 
great advantages in seeking their con- 
version. (&) You have access to them 
at times when their minds are most 
open to serious impressions. Every 
man has times when he may be ap- 
proached on the subject of religion ; 
when he is pensive and serious; when 
he is disappointed and sad ; when the 
affairs of this world do not go well with 
him, and his thoughts are drawn along 
to a better. There are times in the 
life of every man when he is ready to 
open his mind to a friend on the sub- 
ject of religion, and when he would 
be glad of a word of friendly counse 
and encouragement. It is murh ro 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER m. 



211 



nave access to a man at such times, 
(c) If all the facts were known which 
have occurred, there would be no lack 
of encouragement to labour for the 
conversion of impenitent relatives and 
friends. Many a husband owes his 
salvation to the persevering solicitude 
and prayers of a wife ; many a son 
will enter heaven because a mother 
never ceased to pray for his salvation, 
even when to human view there seemed 
no hope of it. 

(3.) We may learn (vs. 1, 2) what 
are the principal means by which we 
are to hope to secure the conversion and 
salvation of impenitent friends. It is 
to be mainly by a pure life ; by a holy 
walk ; by a consistent example. Con- 
versation, properly so called, is not to 
be regarded as excluded from those 
means, but the main dependence is to 
be on a holy life. This is to be so be- 
cause (a) Most persons form their no- 
tions of religion from what they see in 
the lives of its professed friends. It is 
not so much what they hear in the 
pulpit, for they regard preaching as a 
mere professional business, by which a 
man gets a living; not so much by 
books in defence and explanation of 
religion, for they seldom or never read 
them ; not by what religion enabled 
the martyrs to do, for they may have 
scarcely heard the names of even the 
most illustrious of the martyrs ; but by 
what they see in the walk and conver- 
sation of those who profess to be Chris- 
tians, especially of those who are their 
near relations. The husband is form- 
ing his views of religion constantly 
from what he sees on the brow and in 
the eye of his professedly Christian 
wife ; the brother from what he sees in 
his sister ; the child from what he sees 
in the parent, (h) Those who profess 
to be Chris-o.ans have an opportunity 
of showing the power of religion in a 
way which is superior to any abstract 
argument. It controls their temper ; 
it makes them kind and gentle ; it sus- 
tains them in trial ; it prompts them 



to deeds of benevolence ; it disposes 
them to be contented, to be forgiving, 
to be patient in the reverses of life. 
Every one may thus be always doing 
something to make an impression fa- 
vourable to religion on the minds of 
others. Yet it is also true that much 
may be done and should be done for 
the conversion of others, by conversa- 
tion properly so called, or by direct 
address and appeal. There is nothing, 
however, which requires to be managed 
with more prudence than conversation 
with those who are not Christians, or 
direct efforts to lead them to attend to 
the subject of religion. In regard to 
this, it may be observed, (a) That it 
does no good to be always talking with 
them. Such a course only produces 
disgust. It does no good to talk 

to them at unseasonable and impropci 
times. If they are specially engaged 
in their business, and would not like 
to be interrupted ; if they are in com- 
pany with others, or even with their 
family ; it does little good to attempt a 
conversation with them. It is ■ the 
word that is fitly spoken that is like 
apples of gold in pictures of sliver. 1 
Prov. xxv. 11. (c) It does no good to 
scold them on the subject of religion, 
with a view to make them Christians. 
In such a case you show a spirit the 
very reverse of that religion which you 
are professedly endeavouring to per- 
suade them to embrace, (d) All con- 
versation with impenitent sinners should 
be kind, and tender, and respectful. It 
should be addressed to them when they 
will be disposed to listen ; usually 
when they are alone ; and especially 
when from trials or other causes they 
may be in such a state of mind tha 
they will be willing to listen. It may 
be added that impenitent sinners are 
much more frequently in such a state 
of mind than most Christians suppose, 
and that they often wonder that theii 
Christian friends do not speak to them 
about the salvation of the soul. 

From the exposition given of the 



212 



I. PETER. 



[A. £). 60. 



important verses 18 — 21, we may cU • 
rive the following inferences : 

(1.) The pre-existence of Christ. If 
he preached to the antediluvians in the 
time of Noah, he must have had an 
existence at that time. 

(2.) His divinity. If he was < quick- 
ened' or restored to life by his own ex- 
alted nature, he must be divine ; for 
there is no more inalienable attribute 
of the Deity than the power of raising 
the dead. 

(3.) If Christ preached to the heathen 
world in the time of Noah, for the 
same reason it may be regarded as true 
that all the messages which are brought 
to men, calling them to repentance, in 
any age or country, are through him. 
Thus, it was Christ who spake by the 
prophets and by the apostles ; and thus 
he speaks now by his ministers. 

(4.) If this interpretation is well- 
founded, it takes away one of the 
strongest supports of the doctrine of 
purgatory. There is no stronger pas- 
sage of the Bible in support of this 
doctrine than the one before us ; and 
if this does not countenance it, it may 
be safely affirmed that it has not a 
shadow of proof in the sacred Scrip- 
tures. 

(5.) It follows that there is no hope 
or prospect that the gospel will be 
preached to those who are lost. This 
is the only passage in the Bible that 
could be supposed to teach any such 
doctrine ; and if the interpretation 
above proposed be correct, this fur- 
nishes no ground of belief that if a 
man dies impenitent he will ever be 
favoured with another offer of mercy. 
This interpretation also accords with 
all the other representations in the 
Bible. « As the tree falleth, so it lies." 
" He that is holy, let him be holy still ; 
and he that is filthy, let him be filthy 
still." All the representations in the 
Bible lead us to suppose that the eternal 
destiny of the soul after death is fixed, 
and that the only change which can 
f ver occur in the future state is that 



which will he produced by deyelope* 
mext : the developement of the prin- 
ciples of piety in heaven ; the devel- 
opement of the principles of evil in 
hell. 

(6.) It follows, that if there is not a 
place of purgatory in the future world, 
there is a place of punishment. If the 
word prison, in the passage before us, 
does not mean purgatory, and does not 
refer to a detention with a prospect or 
possibility of release, it must refer to 
detention of another kind, and for an- 
other purpose, and that can be only 
with reference * to the judgment of the 
great day.' 2 Pet. ii. 14. Jude 6. From 
that gloomy prison there is no evidence 
that any have been, or will be, released. 

(7.) Men should embrace the gospel 
at once. Now it is offered to them ; 
in the future world it will not be. But 
even if it could be proved that the 
gospel would be offered to them in the 
future world, it would be better to em- 
brace it now. Why should men go 
down to that world to suffer long before 
they become reconciled to God I Why 
choose to taste the sorrows of hell be- 
fore they embrace the offers of mercy ? 
Why go to that world of wo at alii 
Are men so in love with suffering and 
danger that they esteem it wise to go 
down to that dark prison-house, with 
the intention or the hope that the gos- 
pel may be offered to them there, and 
that when there they may be disposed 
to embrace it? Even if it could be 
shown, therefore, that they might again 
hear the voice of mercy and salvation, 
how much wiser would it be to hearken 
to the voice now, and become reconciled 
to God here, and never experience in 
any way the pangs of the second death! 
But of any such offer of mercy in the 
world of despair, the Bible contains no 
intimation, and he who goes to the 
eternal world unreconciled to God, 
perishes for ever. The moment when 
he crosses the line between time and 
eternity, he goes for ever beyond th« 
boundaries of hope. 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



218 



CHAPTER IV. 
FORASMUCH then as Christ 
J- hath suffered for us in the 
flesh, arm yourselves likewise 

CHAPTER IV. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter relates principally to 
the manner in which those to whom 
the apostle wrote ought to bear their 
trials, and to the encouragements to a 
holy life notwithstanding their persecu- 
tions. He had commenced the subject 
in the preceding chapter, and had re- 
ferred them particularly to the example 
of the Saviour. His great solicitude 
was, that if they suffered it should not 
be for crime, and that their enemies 
should not be able to bring any well- 
founded accusation against them. He 
would have them pure and harmless; 
patient and submissive ; faithful in the 
performance of their duties, and confi- 
dently looking forward to the time 
when they should be delivered. He 
exhorts them, therefore, to the follow- 
ing things: (a) To arm themselves 
with the same mind that was in Christ; 
to consider that the past time of their 
lives was enough for them to have 
wrought the will of the flesh, and that 
now it was their duty to be separate 
from the wicked world, in whatever 
light the world might regard their con- 
duct — remembering that they who ca- 
lumniated them must soon give account 
to God. vs. 1 — 6. (6) He reminds 
them that the end of all things was at 
hand, and that it became them to be 
sober, and watch unto prayer, ver. 7. 
(c) He exhorts them to the exercise of 
mutual love and hospitality — virtues 
eminently useful in a time of persecu- 
tion and affliction, vs. 8, 9. (d) He 
exhorts them to a performance of every 
duty with seriousness of manner, and 
fidelity — whether it were in preaching, 
or in dispensing alms to the poor and 
needy, vs. 10, 11. (e) He tells them 
not to think it strange that they were 



with the same mind : ° for he * 
that hath suffered in the flesh 
hath ceased from sin : 

a Ph. 2. 5. b Ro. 6. 2, 7. 

called to pass through fiery trials, nor 
to suppose that any unusual thing had 
happened to them ; reminds them that 
they only partook of Christ's sufferings, 
and that it was to be regarded as a fa- 
vour if any one suffered as a Christian 
and presses upon them the thought 
that they ought to be careful that none 
of them suffered for crime, vs. 12 — 16. 
(/) He reminds them that the right- 
eous would be saved with difficulty, 
and that the wicked would certainly be 
destroyed ; and exhorts them, therefore, 
to commit the keeping of their souls to 
a faithful Creator, vs. 18, 19. 

1. Forasmuch then as Christ hath 
suffered for us in the flesh. Since he 
as a man has died for us. Notes, ch. 
iii. 18. The design was to set the 
suffering Redeemer before them as an 
example in their trials. IF Arm your- 
selves likewise with the same mind. 
That is, evidently, the same mind that 
he evinced — a readiness to suffer in the 
cause of religion, a readiness to die as 
he had done. This readiness to suffer 
and die, the apostle speaks of as ar- 
mour, and having this is represented 
as being armed. Armour is put on for 
offensive or defensive purposes in war; 
and the idea of the apostle here is, that 
that state of mind when we are ready 
to meet with persecution and trial, and 
when we are ready to die, will answer 
the purpose of armour in engaging in 
the conflicts and strifes which pertain 
to us as Christians, and especially in 
meeting with persecutions and trials. 
We are to put on the same fortitude 
which the Lord Jesus had, and this 
will be the best defence against our 
foes, and the best security of victory. 
IT For he that hath suffered in the 
flesh hath ceased from sin. Com p. 
Notes on Rom. vi. 7. To * suffer m 
the flesh' is to die. The expression hers 



214 



I; PETER. 



[A. D. 60. 



2 That a he no longer should 
live the rest of his time in the 

a 2 Co. 5. 15. b 1 Co. 6. 11. Tit. 3. 3. 

has a proverbial aspect, and seems to 
have meant something like this: ' when 
a man is dead, he will sin no more 
referring of course to the present life. 
So if a Christian becomes dead in a 
moral sense — dead to this world, dead 
by being crucified with Christ (see 
Notes on Gal. ii. 20) — he may be ex- 
pected to cease from sin. The reason- 
ing is based on the idea that there is 
such a union between Christ and the 
believer that his death on the cross se- 
cured the death of the believer to the 
world. Comp. 2 Tim. ii. 11. Col. ii. 
20 ; iii. 3. 

2. That he no longer should live. 
That is, he has become, through the 
death of Christ, dead to the world and 
to the former things which influenced 
him, in order that he should hereafter 
live not to the lusts of the flesh. See 
Notes on 2 Cor. v. 15. IT The rest of 
his time in the flesh. The remainder 
of the time that he is to continue in 
the flesh ; that is, that he is to live on 
the earth. IT To the lusts of men. 
Such lusts as men commonly live for 
and indulge in. Some of these are enu- 
merated in the following verse. IT But 
to the will of God. In such a manner 
as God commands. The object of re- 
demption is to rescue us from being 
swayed by wicked lusts, and to bring 
us to be conformed wholly to the will 
of God. 

3. For the time past of our life may 
suffice us. 1 We have spent sufficient 
time in indulging ourselves, and fol- 
lowing our wicked propensities, and 
we should hereafter live in a different 
manner.' This does not mean that it 
was ever proper thus to live, but that, 
as we would say, « we have had enough 
of these thirgs ; we have tried them ; 
there is no reason why we should in- 
dulge in them any more.' An expres- 
sion quite similar to this occurs in Ho- 



flesh to the lusts of men, but to 
the will of God, 

3 For b the time past of our 

race — Lusisti satis, edisti satis, atque 
bibisti. Tempus abire tibi est, etc. 
Epis. ii. 213. ^ To have wrought the 
will of the Gentiles. This does not 
mean to be subservient to their will, 
but to have done what they willed to 
do ; that is, to live as they did. Thai 
the Gentiles or heathen lived in the 
manner immediately specified, see de- 
monstrated in the Notes on Rom. i. 
21 — 32. IT When we walked in lasci' 
viousness. When we lived in the in- 
dulgence of corrupt passions — the word 
walk being often used in the Scriptures 
to denote the manner of life. On the 
word lasciviousness, see Notes on Rom. 
xiii. 13. The apostle says we, not as 
meaning that he himself had been ad- 
dicted to these vices, but as speaking 
of those who were Christians in gene- 
ral. It is common to say that we lived 
so and so, when speaking of a collec- 
tion of persons, without meaning that 
each one was guilty of all the practices 
enumerated. See Notes on 1 Thess. 
iv. 17, for a similar use of the word we. 
The use of the word we in this place 
would show that the apostle did not 
mean to set himself up as better than 
they were, but was willing to be iden- 
tified with them, «f Lusts. The in- 
dulgence of unlawful desires. Notes, 
Rom. i. 24. H Excess of wine. The 
word here used (olvo$%vyla) occurs no- 
where else in the New Testament. It 
properly means overflowing of wine 
(plvos, wine, and $a.vco, to overflow) ; 
then wine-drinking; drunkenness. That 
this was a common vice, need not be 
proved. Multitudes of those who be- 
came Christians had been drunkards, 
for intemperance abounded in all the 
heathen world. Comp. 1 Cor. vi. 9 — 
11. It should not be inferred here 
from the English translation, * excess 
of wine/ that wine is improper only 
when used to excess, or that the mod© 



\.D. 60.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



215 



life may suffice us to have 
wrought the will of the Gentiles, 
when we walked in lascivious- 
rate use of wine is proper. Whatever 
may be true on that point, nothing can 
be determined in regard to it from the 
use of this word. The apostle had his 
eye on one thing — on such a use of 
wine as led to intoxication ; such as 
they had indulged in before their con- 
version. About the impropriety of that, 
there could be no doubt. Whether 
any use of wine by Christians or other 
persons was lawful, was another ques- 
tion. It should be added, moreover, 
that the phrase ( excess of wine' does 
not precisely convey the meaning of the 
original. The word excess would na- 
turally imply something more than was 
needful ; or something beyond the pro- 
per limit or measure ; but no such idea 
is in the original word. That refers 
merely to the abundance of wine, with- 
out any reference to the inquiry whether 
there was more than was proper or not. 
Tindal renders it, somewhat better, 
drunkenness. So Luther, Trunkenheit, 
IT Revelling s. Rendered rioting in 
Rom. xiii. 13. See Notes on that verse. 
The Greek word (xu>uo$) occurs only 
here, and in Rom. xiii. 13, and Gal. v. 
21. It means feasting, revel; " a ca- 
rousing or merry-making after supper, 
the guests often sallying into the 
streets, and going through the city with 
torches, music, and songs in honour 
of Bacchus," &c. Robinson, Lex. 
The word would apply to all such 
noisy and boisterous processions now — 
scenes wholly inappropriate to the 
Christian. IT Banquetings. The word 
heie used (rtotof) occurs nowhere else 
in the New Testament. It means 
properly drinking an act of drink- 
ing ; then a drinking bout ; drinking 
together. The thing forbidden by it 
is an assembling together for the pur- 
pose of drinking. There is nothing 
in this word referring to eating, or to 
bangueting, as the term is now com- 



ness, lusts, excess of wine, re- 
vellings, banquetings, and abo- 
minable idolatries : 

monly employed. The idea in the 
passage is, that it is improper for Chris* 
tians to meet together for the purpose 
of drinking — as wine, toasts, &c. The 
prohibition would apply to all those 
assemblages where this is understood 
to be the main object. It would forbid, 
therefore, an attendance on all those 
celebrations in which drinking toasts 
is understood to be an essential part 
of the festivities, and all those where 
hilarity and joyfulness are sought to 
be produced by the intoxicating bowl 
Such are not proper places for Chris- 
tians. IT And abominable idolatries. 
Literally, unlawful idolatries ; that is, 
unlawful to the Jews, or forbidden by 
their laws. Then the expression is 
used in the sense of wicked, impious, 
since what is unlawful is impious and 
wrong. That the vices here referred 
to were practised by the heathen world 
is well known. See Notes on Rom. 
i. 26 — 31. That many who became 
Christians were guilty of them before 
their conversion, is clear from this pas- 
sage. The fact that they were thus 
converted shows the power of the gos- 
pel, and also that we should not de- 
spair in regard to those who are in- 
dulging in these vices now. They 
seem indeed almost to be hopeless, but 
we should remember that many who 
became Christians when the gospel 
was first preached, as well as since, 
were of this character. If they were 
reclaimed ; if those who had been ad- 
dicted to the gross and debasing vices 
referred to here, were brought into the 
kingdom of God, we should believe 
that those who are living in the same 
manner now may also be recovered. 
From the statement made in this verse 
that « the time past of our lives may 
suffice to have wrought the will of the 
Gentiles,' we may remark that the 
same may be said by all Christians oi 



216 I. PI 

4 Wherein *hey think it strange 

themselves, the same thing is true of 
all who are living in sin. (1.) It is 
true of all who are Christians, and 
they feel it, that they lived long enough 
in sin. {a) They made a fair trial — 
many of them with ample opportuni- 
ties ; with abundant wealth; with all 
that the fashionable world can furnish ; 
with all that can be derived from low 
and gross indulgences. Many who 
are now Christians had opportunities 
of living in splendour and ease ; many 
moved in gay and brilliant circles ; 
many occupied stations of influence, 
or had brilliant prospects of distinction ; 
many gave indulgence to gross propen- 
sities ; many were the companions of 
the vile and the abandoned. Those 
who are now Christians, take the 
church at large, have had ample oppor- 
tunity of making the fullest trial of 
what sin and the world can furnish. 
(&) They all feel that the past is enough 
for this manner of living. It is « suffi- 
cient' to satisfy them that the world 
cannot furnish what the soul demands. 
They need a better portion ; and they 
can now see that there is no reason 
why they should desire to continue the 
experiment in regard to what the world 
can furnish. On that unwise and 
wicked experiment they have expended 
time enough ; and satisfied with that, 
they desire to return to it no more. 
(2.) The same thing is true of the 
wicked — of all who are living for the 
world. The time past should be re- 
garded as sufficient to make an experi- 
ment in sinful indulgences ; for (a) the 
experiment has been made by millions 
before them, and has always failed ; 
and they can hope to find in sin only 
what has always been found, disap- 
pointment, mortification, and despair; 
(b) they have made a sufficient expe- 
riment. They have never found in 
those indulgences what they flattered 
themselves they would find, and they 
have seen enough to satisfy them that 
"What the immortal soul needs can never 



ITER. [A.D. 60. 

that ye run not with them to the 

be obtained there, (c) They have spent 
sufficient time in this hopeless experi- 
ment. Life is short. Man has no 
time to waste. He may soon die — and 
at whatever period of life any one may 
be who is living in sin, we may say to 
him that he has already wasted enough 
of life ; he has thrown away enough 
of probation in a fruitless attempt to 
find happiness where it can never be 
found. For any purpose whatever for 
which any one could ever suppose it 
to be desirable to live in sin, the past 
should suffice. But why should it 
ever be deemed desirable at all? The 
fruits of sin are always disappointment, 
tears, death, despair. 

4. Wherein they think it strange. 
In respect to which vices, they who 
were once your partners and accom- 
plices now think it strange that you 
no longer unite with them. They do 
not understand the reasons why ) ou 
have left them. They regard you as 
abandoning a course of life which has 
much to attract and to make life meiry, 
for a severe and gloomy superstition. 
This is a true account of the feelings 
which the people of the world have 
when their companions and friends 
leave them and become Christians. It 
is to them a strange and unaccountable 
thing, that they give up the pleasures 
of the world for a course of life which 
to them seems to promise any thing 
but happiness. Even the kindred of 
the Saviour regarded him as "besile 
himself" (Mark iii. 21), and Festus 
supposed that Paul was mad. Acta 
xxvi. 24. There is almost nothing 
which the people of the world so little 
comprehend as the reasons which in- 
fluence those with ample means of 
worldly enjoyment to leave the circles 
of gayety and vanity, and to give them- 
selves to the serious employments of 
religion. The epithets of fool, enthu« 
siast, fanatic, are terms which frequent- 
ly occur to the heart to denote this, il 
they are not always allowed to escape 



A. D. 60.] 

same excess of riot, speaking 
evil a of you . 



CHAPTER IV. 217 

5 Who shall give account to 

a Ac. 13. 45. 



from the lips. The reasons why they 
esteem this so strange, are something 
like the following: (1.) They do not 
appreciate the motives which influence 
those who leave them. They feel that 
; t is proper to enjoy the world, and to 
make life cheerful, and they do not 
understand what it is to act under a 
deep sense of responsibility to God, 
and with reference to eternity. They 
live for themselves. They seek happi- 
ness as the end and aim of life. They 
have never been accustomed to direct 
the mind onward to another world, and 
to the account which they must soon 
render at the bar of God. Unaccus- 
tomed to act from any higher motives 
than those which pertain to the present 
world, they cannot appreciate the con- 
duct of those who begin to live and act 
for eternity. (2.) They do not yet see 
the guilt and folly of sinful pleasures. 
They are not convinced of the deep 
sinfulness of the human soul, and they 
think it strange that others should 
abandon a course of life which seems 
to them so innocent. They do not see 
why those who have been so long ac- 
customed to these indulgences should 
have changed their opinions, and why 
they now regard those things as sinful 
which they once considered to be harm- 
less. (3.) They do not see the force 
of the argument for religion. Not hav- 
ing the views of the unspeakable im- 
portance of religious truth and duty 
which Christians now have, they won- 
der that they should break off from the 
course of life which they formerly pur- 
sued, and separate from the mass of 
their fellow-men. Hence, they some- 
times regard the conduct of Christians 
as amiable weakness; sometimes as 
superstition; sometimes as sheer folly; 
sometimes as madness ; and sometimes 
as sourness and misanthropy. In all 
respects they esteem it strange. 
19 



" Lions and beasts of savage name 
Put on the nature of the lamb, 
While the wide world esteems it strange, 
Gaze, and admire, and hate the change." 

1T That ye run not with them. There 
may be an allusion here to the well- 
known orgies of Bacchus, in which hi3 
votaries ran as if excited by the furies, 
and were urged on as if transported 
with madness. See Ovid Metam., iii. 
529, thus translated by Addison : 

" For now, through prostrate Greece, young 
Bacchus rode, 
Whilst howling matrons celebrate the god ; 
All ranks and sexes to his orgies ran, 
To mingle in the pomp and fill the train/ 

The language, however, will well de- 
scribe revels of any sort, and at any 
period of the world. 1T To the same 
excess of riot* The word rendered 
excess (avd%v(5(,$) means properly a 
pouring out, an affusion ; and the 
idea here is, that all the sources and 
forms of riot and disorder were poured 
out together. There was no withhold- 
ing, no restraint. The most unlimited 
indulgence was given to the passions. 
This was the case in the disorder re- 
ferred to among the ancients, as it is 
the case now in scenes of midnight 
revelry. On the meaning of the word 
riot, see Notes on Eph. v. 18. Titus 
i. 6. IT Speaking evil of you. Greek, 
blaspheming. Notes, Matt. ix. 3. The 
meaning here is, that they used harsh 
and reproachful epithets of those who 
would not unite with them in their re- 
velry. They called them fools, fana- 
tics, hypocrites, &c. The idea is not 
that they blasphemed God, or that they 
charged Christians with crime, but 
that they used language fitted to injure 
the feelings, the character, the repu- 
tation of those who would no longer 
unite with them in the ways of vice 
and folly. 

5. Who shall give account, That 



218 I. PE 

him that is ready to judge the 
quick and the dead. 

is, they shall not do this with impunity. 
They are guilty in this of a great wrong, 
and they must answer for it to God. 

That is ready to judge,. That is, 
* who is prepared to judge' fVoc'uco^ 
iZovz'i,). See the phrase used in Acts 

xxi. 13 : ««I am ready not to he bound 
only, but also to die at Jerusalem." 
2 Cor. xii. 14 : " The third time I am 
ready to come to you." Compare the 
word ready (sVot^oj) in Matt. xxii. 4, 
8; xxiv. 44; xxv. 10. Luke xii. 40; 

xxii. 33. 1 Pet. i. 5. The meaning 
is, not that he was about to do it, or 
that the day of judgment was near at 
hand, — whatever the apostle may have 
supposed to be true on that point, — but 
that he was prepared for it ; all the ar- 
rangements were made with reference 
to it; there was nothing to hinder it. 
IT To judge the quick and the dead. 
The living and the dead ; that is, those 
who shall be alive when he comes, 
and those in their graves. This is 
a common phrase to denote all who 
shall be brought before the bar of God 
for judgment. See Notes on Acts x. 
42. 1 Thess. iv. 16, 17. 2 Tim. iv. 1. 
The meaning in this connection seems 
to be, that they should bear their trials, 
and the opposition which they would 
meet with, patiently, not feeling that 
they were forgotten, nor attempting to 
avenge themselves ; for the Lord would 
vindicate them when he should come 
to judgment, and call those who had 
injured them to an account for all the 
wrongs which they had done to the 
children of God. 

6. For, for this cause. The expres- 
sion, « For, for this cause,' refers to an 
end to be reached, or an object to be 
gained, or a reason why any thing re- 
ferred to is done. The end or reason 
why the thing referred to here, to wit, 
that < the gospel was preached to the 
dead/ was done, is stated in the subse- 
quent part of the verse to have be^n 



TER. [A. D. 60 

6 For, for this cause was the 
gospel preached also to them 

' that they might be judged, 7 &c. It 
was with reference to this, or in order 
that this might be, that the gospel was 
preached to them. ^ That the gospel 
was preached to the dead. Many, as 
Doddridge, Whitby, and others, under- 
stand this of those who are spiritually 
dead, that is, the Gentiles, and suppose 
that the object for which this was done 
was that " they might be brought to 
such a state of life as their carnal neigh- 
bours will look upon as a kind of con- 
demnation and death." — Doddridge. 
Others have supposed that it refers to 
those who had suffered martyrdom in 
the cause of Christianity ; others, that 
it refers to the sinners of the old world 
(Sauriri), expressing a hope that some 
of them might be saved ; and others, 
that it means that the Saviour went 
down and preached to those who are 
dead, in accordance with one of the 
interpretations given of ch. iii. 19. It 
seems to me that the most natural and 
obvious interpretation is, to refer it to 
those who were then dead, to whom the 
gospel had been preached when living, 
and who had become true Christians. 
This is the interpretation proposed by 
Wetstein, Rosenmiiller, Bloomfield, 
and others. In support of this it may 
be said, (1.) That this is the natural 
and obvious meaning of the word dead, 
which should be understood literally, 
unless there is some good reason in the 
connection for departing from the com- 
mon meaning of the word. (2.) The 
apostle had just used the word in that 
sense in the previous verse. (3.) This 
will suit the connection, and accord 
with the design of the apostle. He 
was addressing those who were suffer- 
ing persecution. It was natural, in 
such a connection, to refer to those 
who had died in the faith, and to show, 
for their encouragement, that though 
they had been put to death, yet the^ 
still lived to God. He therefore says, 



A.D. 60.] CHAPTER IV. 

that are dead, that they might 
be judged a according to men in 

a Mat. 24. 9. 

that the design in publishing the gos- 
pel to them was, that though they 
might be judged by men in the usual 
manner, and put to death, yet that in 
respect to their higher and nobler na- 
ture, the spirit, they might live unto 
God. It was not uncommon nor un- 
natural for the apostles, in writing to 
those who were suffering persecution, 
to refer to those who had been removed 
by death, and to make their condition 
and example an argument for fidelity 
and perseverance. Comp. I Thess. iv. 
13. Rev. xiv. 13. IT That they might 
be judged according to men in the 
flesh. That is, so far as men are con- 
cerned (xata aj£pw7iou$), or in respect 
to the treatment which they received 
from men in the flesh, they were judged 
and condemned ; in respect to God, 
and the treatment which they received 
from him (xorfa $sbv), they would live 
in spirit. Men judged them severely, 
and put them to death for their reli- 
gion ; God gave them life, and saved 
them. By the one they were, con- 
demned in the flesh — so far as pain, 
and sorrow, and death could be inflicted 
on the body ; by the other they were 
made to live in spirit — to be his, to live 
with him. The word judged here, I 
suppose, therefore, to refer to a sentence 
passed on them for their religion, con- 
signing them to death for it. There 
is a particle in the original (^y — in- 
deed) which has not been retained in 
the common translation, but which is 
quite important to the sense : < that 
they might indeed be judged in the 
flesh, but live/ &c. The direct object 
or design of preaching the gospel to 
them was not that they might be con- 
demned and put to death by man, but 
this was indeed or in fact one of the 
results in the way to a higher object. 
1 But live according to God, In re- 
spect to God, or so far as he was con- 



219 

the flesh, but live b according to 
God in the spirit. 

b Re. 14. 13. 



cerned. By him they would not be 
condemned. By him they would be 
made to live — to have the true life. 
The gospel was preached to them in 
order that so far as God is concerned ; 
so far as their relation to him was con- 
cerned ; so far as he would deal with 
them, they might live. The word live 
here seems to refer to the whole life 
that was the consequence of their being 
brought under the power of the gospel : 
(a) that they might have spiritual life 
imparted to them ; (b) that they might 
live a life of holiness in this world ; 
(c) that they might live hereafter in 
the world to come. In one respect, 
and so far as men were concerned, 
their embracing the gospel was followed 
by death; in another respect, and so 
far as God was concerned, it was fol- 
lowed by life. The value and perma- 
nence of the latter, as contrasted with the 
former, seems to have been the thought 
in the mind of the apostle in encourag- 
ing those to whom he wrote to exercise 
patience in their trials, and to show fide- 
lity in the service of their Master. IT In 
the spirit. In their souls, as contrasted 
with their body. In respect to that — 
to the flesh — they were put to to death ; 
in respect to their souls — their higher 
natures — they were made truly to live. 
The argument, then, in this verse is, 
that in the trials which we endure on 
account of religion, we should remem- 
ber the example of those who have 
suffered for it, and should remember 
why the gospel was preached to them. 
It was in a subordinate sense, indeed, 
that they might glorify God by a mar- 
tyr's death ; but in a higher sense, that 
in this world and the next they might 
truly live. The flesh might suffer in 
consequence of their embracing the 
gospel that was preached to them, but 
the soul would live. Animated by 
their example, we should be willing to 



220 r. PE 

7 But the end ° of all things 

a Ja. 5. 8, 9. b Lu. 21. 36. 

suffer in the flesh, if we may for ever 
iive with God. 

7. But the end of all things is at 
hand. This declaration is also evi- 
dently designed to support and en- 
courage them in their trials, and to ex- 
cite them to lead a holy life, hy the 
assurance that the end of all things 
was drawing nigh. The phrase ' the 
end of all things' would naturally refer 
to the end of the world ; the winding 
up of human affairs. It is not abso- 
lutely certain, however, that the apostle 
used it here in this sense. It might 
mean that so far as they were con- 
cerned, or in respect to them, the end 
of all things drew near. Death is to 
each one the end of all things here 
below ; the end of his plans and of his 
interest in all that pertains to sublu- 
nary affairs. Even if the phrase did 
originally and properly refer to the end 
of the world, it is probable that it 
would soon come to denote the end of 
life in relation to the affairs of each in- 
dividual, since, if it was believed that 
the end of the world was near, it must 
consequently be believed that the ter- 
mination of the earthly career of each 
one also drew near to a close. It is 
possible that the latter signification may 
have come ultimately to predominate, 
and that Peter may have used it in 
this sense without referring to the other. 
Comp. Notes on 2 Pet. iii. 8 — 14, for 
his views on this subject. See also 
Notes on Rom. xiii. 11, 12. The word 
rendered 4 is at hand' (rjyyixe ) may re- 
fer either to proximity of place or time, 
and it always denotes that the place or 
the time referred to was not far off. In 
the former sense, as referring to near- 
ness of place, see Matt. xxi. 1. Mark 
xi. 1. Luke vii. 12; xv. 25; xviii. 35, 
40 ; xix. 29, 37, 41 ; xxiv. 15. Acts 
ix. 3 ; x. 9 ; xxi. 33 ; in the latter 
sense, as referring totime as being near, 
skieMatt. iii. 2; iv. 17; x. 7 ; xxi. 34 ; 



PER. [A. D. 60. 

is at hand : be ye therefore sober, 
and watch b unto prayer. 

xxvi. 45. Mark i. 15. Luke xxi. 20, 
28. Acts vii. 17. Rom. xiii. 12. Heb. 
x. 25. 1 Pet. iv. 7. The idea as ap- 
plied to time, or to an approaching 
event, is undoubtedly that it is close by ; 
it is not far off; it vn 11 soon occur. If 
this refers to the end of the world, it 
would mean that it was soon to occur; 
if to death, that this was an event 
which could not be far distant; per- 
haps an event that was to be hastened 
by their trials. The fact that it is 
such language as we now naturally 
address to men, saying that in respect 
to them « the end of all things is at 
hand,' shows that it cannot be demon- 
strated that Peter did not use it in the 
same sense, and consequently that it 
cannot be proved that he meant to 
teach that the end of the world was 
then soon to occur. *0" Be ye therefore 
sober. Serious; thoughtful; consider- 
ate. Let a fact of so much importance 
make a solemn impression on your 
mind, and preserve you from frivolity, 
levity, and vanity. See the word ex- 
plained in the Notes on 1 Tim. iii. 2. 
% And watch unto prayer. Be look- 
ing out for the end of all things in such 
a manner as to lead you to embrace all 
proper opportunities for prayer. Comp. 
Notes on Matt. xxvi. 39, 41. The word 
rendered watch means to be sober, tem- 
perate, abstinent, especially in respect 
to wine ; then watchful, circumspect. 
The important truth, then, taught by 
this passage is, that the near approach 
of the end of all things should make 
us serious and prayerful, I. The end 
may be regarded as approaching. This 
is true (1.) of ail things; of the wind- 
ing up of the affairs of this world. It 
is constantly drawing nearer and nearer, 
and no one can tell how soon it wilt 
occur. The period is wisely hidden 
from the knowledge of all men (See 
Matt. xxiv. 36. Acts. i. 7), among other 
reasons in order that we may be aiway 



A. D. 60.1 CHAP1 

8 And above all things have 

ready. No man can tell certainly at 
what time it will come; no man can 
demonstrate that it may not come at 
any moment. Everywhere in the Scrip- 
tures it is represented that it will come 
at an unexpected hour, as a thief in the 
night, and when the mass of men shall 
be slumbering in false security. Matt, 
sxiv. 37—39, 42, 43. 1 Thess. v. 2. 
Luke xxi. 34. (2.) It is near in rela- 
tion to each one of us. The day of 
our death cannot be far distant; it 
may be very near. The very next 
thing that ws may have to do, may be 
to lie down and die. II. It is proper 
that such a nearness of the end of all 
things should lead us to be serious, and 
to pray. (1.) To be serious,' fox (a) 
the end of all things, in regard to us, 
is a most important event. It closes 
our probation. It fixes our character. 
It seals up our destiny. It makes all 
ever onward in character and doom un- 
changeable. (6) We are so made as 
to be serious in view of such events. 
God has so constituted the mind that 
when we lose property, health, or 
friends; when we look into a. grave, or 
are beset with dangers ; when we are 
in the room of the dying or the dead, 
we are serious and thoughtful. It is 
unnatural not to be so. Levity and 
frivolity on such occasions are as con- 
trary to all the finer and better feelings 
of our nature as they are to the pre- 
cepts of the Bible, (c) There are ad- 
vantages in seriousness of mind. It 
enables us to take better views of things. 
Eccl. vii. 2, 3. A calm, sober, sedate 
mind is the best for a contemplation of 
truth, and for looking at things as they 
are. (2.) To be watchful unto prayer ; 
(a) men naturally pray when they sup- 
pose that the end of all things is com- 
ing. An earthquake induces them to 
pray. An eclipse, or any other sup- 
posed prodigy, leads men to pray if 
they suppose the end of the world is 
drawing near. A shipwreck, or any 
19* 



ER IV. 221 

fervent charity among yourselves: 

other sudden danger, leads them to 
pray. Ps. cvii. 28. So men often pray 
in sickness who have never prayed in 
days of health. (6) It is proper to do 
it. Death is an important event, and in 
anticipation of such an event we should 
pray. Who can help us then but God ? 
Who can conduct us through the dark 
valley but he ] Who can save us 
amidst the wrecks and ruins of the 
universe but he ] Who can dissipate 
our fears, and make us calm amidst the 
convulsions of dissolving nature, but 
God 1 As that event, therefore, may 
come upon us at any hour, it should 
lead us to constant prayer, and the 
more so because when it comes we may 
be in no state of mind to pray. The 
posture in which we should feel that it 
would be most appropriate that the 
messenger of death should find us, 
would be that of prayer. 

8. And above all things. More than 
all things else. IT Have fervent charity 
among yourselves. Warm, ardent love 
towards each other. On the nature of 
charity, see Notes on 1 Cor. xiii. 1. 
The word rendered fervent, means pro- 
perly extended; then intent, earnest, 
fervent. II For charity shall cover the 
multitude of sins. Love to another 
shall so cover or hide a great many im- 
perfections in him that you will not 
notice them. This passage is quoted 
from Prov. x. 12. " Love covereth all 
sins." For the truth of it we have 
only to appeal to the experience of 
every one. (a) True love to another 
makes us kind to his imperfections, 
charitable towards his faults, and often 
blind even to the existence of faults. 
We would not see the imperfections of 
those whom we love, and our attach- 
ment for what we esteem their real ex- 
cellencies, makes us insensible to their 
errors, (b) If we love them we are 
ready to cover over their faults, even 
those which we may see in them. Of 
love the Christian poet says: 



222 I. PETER. [A. D. 60 

for a charity shall 1 cover the mul- 9 Use hospitality h one to an 

titude of sins. other, without grudging. 

a i Co. 13. 7. i or, win. b He. 13. 2, 16. 10 As every man hath received 



'Tis gentle, delicate, and kind, 
To faults compassionate or blind. 

The passage before us is not the same 
in signification as that in James v. 20, 
« he which converteth the sinner from 
the error of his way shall save a soul 
from death, and shall hide a multitude 
of sins.' See Notes on that passage. 
That passage means that by the conver- 
sion of another the sins of him who 
is converted shall be covered over, or 
not brought to judgment for condem- 
nation; that is, they shall be covered 
over so far as God is concerned : — this 
passage means that under the influence 
of love, the sins of another shall be 
covered over so far as we are concerned; 
that is, they shall be unobserved or 
forgiven. The language here used does 
not mean, as the Romanists maintain, 
that « charity shall procure us pardon 
for a multitude of sins for, besides 
that such a doctrine is contrary to the 
uniform teachings of the Scriptures 
elsewhere, it is a departure from the 
obvious meaning of the passage. The 
subject on which the apostle is treat- 
ing is the advantage of love in our 
conduct towards others, and this he 
enforces by saying that it will make us 
kind to their imperfections, and lead us 
to overlook their faults. It is nowhere 
taught in the Scriptures that our 
< charity' to others will be an atonement 
or expiation for our own offences. If 
it could be so, the atonement made by 
Christ would have been unnecessary. 
Love, however, is of inestimable value 
in the treatment of others ; and imper- 
fect as we are, and liable to go astray, 
we all have occasion to cast ourselves 
on the charity of our brethren, and to 
avail ourselves much and often of that 
» love which covers over a multitude 
of sins.' 

9. Use hospitality one to another. 
On the duty of hospitality, see Notes 



on Rom. xii. 13. Heb. xiii. 2. 11 With- 
out grudging. Gr., « without mur 
murs / that is, without complaining 
of the hardship of doing it; of the 
time, and expense, and trouble required 
in doing it. The idea of grudging, 
in the common sense of that word, that 
is, of doing it unwillingly, or regret- 
ting the expense, and considering it as 
illy-bestowed, or as not producing an 
equivalent of any kind, is not exactly 
the idea here. It is that we are to do 
it without murmuring or complaining. 
It greatly enhances the value of hos- 
pitality, that it be done on our part with 
entire cheerfulness. One of the duties 
involved in it is to make a guest 
happy ; and this can be done in no 
other way than by showing him thai 
he is welcome. 

10. As every man hath received the 
gift. The word rendered the gift 
(^ccpttf^a), in the Greek, without the 
article, means endowment of any kind, 
but especially that conferred by the 
Holy Spirit. Here it seems to refer to 
every kind of endowment by which we 
can do good to others ; especially every 
kind of qualification furnished by reli- 
gion by which we can help others. It 
does not refer here particularly to the 
ministry of the word — though it is ap- 
plicable to that, and includes that — but 
to all the gifts and graces by which we 
can contribute to the welfare of others. 
All this is regarded as a gift, or cha- 
risma, of God. It is not owing to 
ourselves, but is to be traced to him. 
See the word explained in the Notes 
on 1 Tim. iv. 14. ^Even so minister 
the same one to another. In any thing 
by which you can benefit another. 
Regard what you have and they have 
not as a gift bestowed upon you by 
God for the common good, and be 
ready to impart it as the wants of others 
require. The word minister here 



A. D. 60.] 

* the gift, even so minister the 
same one to another, as good 
stewards b of the manifold grace 
of God. 

11 If any man speak, let him 
speak as the oracles of God ; if 

a Ra 12. 6-3. b Lu. 12. 42. 

(Sutxovouv'tss) would refer to any kind 
of ministering, whether by counsel, by 
advice, by the supply of the wants of 
the poor, or by preaching. It has here 
no reference to any one of these exclu- 
sively, but means that in whatever God 
has favoured us more than others, we 
should be ready to minister to their 
wants. See 2 Tim, i. 18. 2 Cor. iii. 3; 
viii. 19, 20. ^ As good stewards. Re- 
garding yourselves as the mere stewards 
of God ; that is, as appointed by him 
to do this work for him, and entrusted 
by him with what is needful to benefit 
others. He intends to do them good, 
but he means to do it through your in- 
strumentality, and has entrusted to you 
as a steward what he designed to con- 
fer on them. This is the true idea, 
in respect to any special endowments 
of talent, property, or grace-, which 
we may have received from God. 
Comp. Notes on 1 Cor. iv. 1, 2. Luke 
xvi. 1, 2, 8. IT Of the manifold grace 
of God. The grace or favour of God 
evinced in many ways, or by a variety 
of gifts. His favours are not corn- 
fined to one single thing; as, for ex- 
ample, to talent for doing good by 
preaching, but are extended to a great 
many things by which we may do good 
to others — influence, property, reputa- 
tion, wisdom, experience. All these 
are to be regarded as his gifts ; all to be 
employed in doing good to others as we 
have opportunity. 

11. If any man speak. As a 
preacher, referring here particularly to 
the office of the ministry. IT Let him 
ppeak as the oracles of God. As the 
oracles of God speak ; to wit, in accord- 
ance with the truth which God has re- 



223 

any man minister, let him do it 
as of the ability which God giv- 
eth : that God in all c things may 
be glorified through Jesus Christ ; 
to d whom be praise and domi- 
nion for ever and ever. Amen 

c 1 Co. 10. 31. d Re. t 6. 



vealed, and with an impressive sense 
of the responsibility of delivering a 
message from Him. The word ren- 
dered oracles (^oyvov), means properly 
something spoken or uttered; then 
any thing uttered by God — a divine 
communication ; a revelation. See 
Notes on Rom. iii. 2. Heb. v. 12. See 
the general duty here inculcated, illus- 
trated at length in the Notes on Rom. 
xii. 6 — 8. The passage here has a 
strong resemblance to the one in 
Romans. % If any man minister 
(Suixovh)* This may refer either, so 
far as the word is concerned, to the 
office of a deacon, or to any service 
which one renders to another. See 
ver. 10. "The word commonly refers 
to service in general ; to attendance on 
another, or to aid rendered to another ; 
to the distribution of alms, &c. It 
seems probable that the word here does 
not refer to the office of a deacon as 
such, because the peculiarity of that 
office was to take charge of the poor 
of the church, and of the funds pro- 
vided for them (see Acts vi. 2, 3) ; but 
the apostle here says that they to whom 
he referred should « minister as of the 
ability which God giveth,' which seems 
to imply that it was rather to distribute 
what was their own, than what was 
committed to them by the church, 
The word may refer to any aid which 
we render to others in the church 
as distributing alms, attending on the 
sick, &c. Comp. Notes on Rom. xii. 
7, 8. ^ As of the ability which God 
giveth. In regard to property, talent, 
strength, influence, &c. This is the 
limit of all obligation. No one is 
bound to go beyond his ability ; every 



CHAPTER IV. 



224 



I. PETER. 



[A. D. 6£ 



12 Beloved, think it not 
strange concerning the fiery ° 
trial which is to try you, as 
though some strange thing hap- 
pened unto you : 

13 But rejoice, b inasmuch as 

a 1 Co. 3. 13. b Ja. 1. 2. 



one is required to come up to it. Comp. 
Mark xiv. 8. Luke xvii. 10. IT That 
God in all things may be glorified. 
That he may be honoured ; to wit, by 
our doing all the good we can to others, 
and thus showing the power of his re- 
ligion. See Notes on 1 Cor. x. 3]. 
% Through Jesus Christ. That is, as 
the medium through whom ail those 
holy influences come by which God is 
honoured. % To whom. That is, to 
God, for he is the main subject of the 
sentence. The apostle says that in ail 
things he is to be glorified by us, and 
then adds in this doxology that he is 
worthy to be thus honoured. Comp. 
Rev. i. 6. Notes on 2 Tim. iv. 18. 
Many, however, suppose that* the refer- 
ence here is to the S -n of God. That 
it would be true of him, and appro- 
priate, see Notes on Rom. ix. 5. 

12. Beloved, think it not strange. 
Do not consider it as any thing which 
you had no reason to expect; as any 
thing which may not happen to others 
also. % Concerning the fiery trial 
vjhich is to try you. Referring, doubt- 
less, to some severe persecution which 
was then impending. We have not 
the means of determining precisely 
what this was. The word rendered 
fiery trial (rivpu6i$) occurs only here 
and in Rev. xviii. 9, 18; in both of 
which latter places it is rendered burn- 
ing. It means properly a being on 
fire, burning, conflagration ; and then 
any severe trial. It cannot be de- 
monstrated from this word that they 
were literally to suffer by fire, but it 
is clear that some heavy calamity was 
before them. IT As though some strange 
thing happened unto you. Something 



ye are partakers of Christ's suf- 
ferings ; that, when c his glory 
shall be revealed, ye may be glad 
also with exceeding joy. 

14 If d ye be reproached for 
the name of Christ, happy are 

c 2 Ti. 2. 12. d Mat. 5. 11, 



unusual; something which did not 
occur to others. 

13. But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are 
partakers of Christ's sufferings. That 
is, sufferings of the same kind that he 
endured, and inflicted for the samt 
reasons. Comp. Col. i. 24. James i. 2. 
Notes on Matt. v. 12. The meaning 
here is, that they were to regard it as a 
matter of rejoicing that they were iden 
tified with Christ, even in suffering. 
See this sentiment illustrated at length 
in the Notes on Phil. iii. 10. IT That 
when his glory shall be revealed. At 
the day of judgment. See Notes on 
Matt. xxiv. 30. *fT Ye may be glad 
also with exceeding joy. Being ad- 
mitted to the rewards which he will 
then confer on his people. Comp. 1 
Thess. ii. i 9. Every good man will 
have joy when, immediately at death, 
he is received into the presence of his 
Saviour ; but his joy will be complete 
only when, in the presence of assembled 
worlds, he shall hear the sentence which 
shall confirm him in happiness foi 
ever. 

14. If ye be reproached for the 
name of Christ, happy are ye. That 
is, in his cause, or on his account. See 
Notes on Matt. v. 11. The sense of 
the word happy here is the same as 
blessed in Matt. v. 3, 4, 5, &c. It 
means that they were to regard their 
condition or lot as a blessed one ; not 
that they would find personal and posi- 
tive enjoyment on being reproached 
and vilified. It would be a blessed 
condition because it would be like that 
of their Saviour ; would show that they 
were his friends ; would be accompa- 
nied with rich spiritual influences m 



D. 60.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



225 



ye ; for the spirit of glory and 
of God resteth upon you : on 
their part he is evil spoken of, 
but on your part he is glorified. 
15 But let none of you suffer 

the present world ; and would be fol- 
lowed by the rewards of heaven. IT For 
the spirit of glory and of God resteth 
upon you. The glorious and divine 
Spirit. There is no doubt that there is 
ieference here to the Holy Spirit, and 
(he meaning is, that they might expect 
that that Spirit would rest upon them, 
or abide with them if they were perse- 
cuted for the cause of Christ. There 
may be some aliusion here, in the lan- 
guage, to the fact that the Spirit of God 
descended and abode on the Saviour at 
his baptism (John i. 33) ; and, in like 
manner, they might hope to have the 
same Spirit resting on them. The es- 
sential idea is, that, if they were called 
to suffer in the cause of the Redeemer, 
they would not be left or forsaken. 
They might hope that Cod would im- 
part his Spirit to them in proportion to 
their sufferings in behalf of religion, 
and that they would have augmented 
joy and peace. This is doubtless the 
case with those who suffer persecution, 
and this is the secret reason why they 
are so sustained in their trials. Their 
persecutions are made the reason of a 
much more copious effusion of the 
Spirit on their souls. The same prin- 
ciple applies, doubtless, to all the forms 
of trial which the children of God pass 
through ; and in sickness, bereavement, 
loss of property, disappointment in 
their worldly plans, and death itself, 
they may hope that larger measures of 
the Spirit's influences will rest upon 
them. Hence it is often gain to the 
believer to suffer. IT On their pari. 
So far as they are concerned ; or by 
them. IT He is evil spoken of. 
That is, the Holy Spirit. They only 
blaspheme him (Greek) ; they re- 
proach his sacred influences by their 
treatment of you and your religion. 
*tT But on your part he is glorified. 



as a murderer, or as a thief, or 
as an evil-doer, or as a busy* 
body in other men's matters. 

16 Yet if any man suffer as a 
Christian, let him not be ashamed ; 

By your manner of speaking of him, 
and by the honour done to him in the 
patience evinced in your trials, and in 
your purity of life. 

15. But let none of you suffer as a 
murderer. If you must be called to 
suffer, see that it be not for crime. 
Comp. Notes on ch. iii. 14, 17. They 
were to be careful that their sufferings 
were brought upon them only in con- 
sequence of their religion, and not be- 
cause any crime could be laid ,to their 
charge. If even such charges were 
brought against them, there should be 
no pretext furnished for them by their 
lives. *J As an evil-doer. As a wick- 
ed man ; or as guilty of injustice and 
wrong towards others, f Or as a 
busy-body in other men's matters. 
The Greek word here used (oftXotfpto- 
£7tl(jxo7ioi) occurs nowhere else in the 
New Testament. It means, properly, 
an inspector of strange things, or of the 
things of others. Prof. Robinson (Lex.) 
supposes that the word may refer to 
one who is ' a director of heathenism 
but the more obvious signification, and 
the one commonly adopted, is that 
which occurs in our translation — one 
who busies himself with what does not 
concern him that is, one who pries 
into the affairs of another; who at- 
tempts to control or direct them as if 
they were his own. In respect to the 
vice here condemned, see the Notes on 
Phil. ii. 4. Comp. 2 Thess. iii. 11, and 
1 Tim. v. 13. 

16. Yet if any man suffer as a 
Christian. Because he is a Christian ; 
if he is persecuted on account of his 
religion. This was often done, and 
they had reason to expect that it might 
occur in their own case. Comp. Notes 
on ch. iii. 17. On the import of the 
word Christian, and the reasons why 
the name was given to th«s disciples of 



226 I. PE 

but let him glorify God on this 
behalf. 

the Lord Jesus, see Notes on Acts xi. 
28. If Let him not be ashamed. (I.) 
Ashamed of religion so as to refuse to 
suffer on account of it. (2.) Ashamed 
that he is despised and maltreated. He 
is to regard his religion as every way 
honourable, and all that fairly results 
from it in time and eternity as in every 
respect desirable. He is not to be asham- 
ed to be called a Christian ; he is not to 
be ashamed of the doctrines taught by 
his religion ; he is not to be ashamed 
of the Saviour whom he professes to 
love; he is not to be ashamed of the 
society and fellowship of those who are 
true Christians, poor and despised 
though they may be ; he is not to be 
ashamed to perform any of the duties 
demanded by his religion ; he is not to 
be ashamed to have his name cast out, 
and himself subjected to reproach and 
scorn. A man should be ashamed only 
of that which is wrong. He should 
glory in that which is right, whatever 
may be the consequences to himself. 
Christians now, though not subjected 
to open persecution, are frequently re- 
proached by the world on account of 
their religion ; and though the rack 
may not be employed, and the fires of 
martyrdom are not enkindled, yet it is 
often true that one who is a believer is 
called to * suffer as a Christian.' He 
may be reviled and despised. His 
views may be regarded as bigoted, nar- 
row, severe. Opprobrious epithets, on 
account of his opinions, may be applied 
to him. His former friends and com- 
panions may leave him because he has 
become a Christian. A wicked father, 
or a gay and worldly mother, may op- 
pose a child, or a husband may revile 
& wife, on account of their religion. In 
all these cases, the same spirit essen- 
tially is required which was enjoined 
on the early Christian martyrs. We 
are never to be ashamed of our religion, 



TER. [A. D. 60 

17 For the time is come that 
judgment must begin ° at the 

a Is. 10. 12. Je. 49. 12. Eze. 9. 6. 

whatever results may follow from our 
attachment to it. Comp. Notes on 
Rom. i. 1.6. IT But let him glorify 
God on this behalf. Let him praise 
God that he is deemed not unworthy 
to suffer in such a cause. It is a mat- 
ter of thankfulness (1.) that they may 
have this evidence that they are true 
Christians ; (2.) that they may desire 
the advantages which may result from 
suffering as Christ did, and in his 
cause. See Notes on Acts v. 41, 
where the sentiment here expressed is 
fully illustrated. Comp. Notes on Phil, 
iii. 10. Col. i. 24. 

17. For the time is come. That is, 
this is now to be expected. There is 
reason to think that this trial will now 
occur, and there is a propriety that it 
should be made. Probably the apos- 
tle referred to some indications then 
apparent that this was about to take 
place. IT That judgment must begin. 
The word judgment here (xpifjia) seems 
to mean the severe trial which would 
determine character. It refers to such 
calamities as would settle the question 
whether there was any religion, or 
would test the value of that which was 
professed. It was to ' begin 9 at the 
house of God, or be applied to the 
church first, in order that the nature 
and worth of religion might be seen. 
The reference is, doubtless, to some 
fearful calamity which would primarily 
fall on the < house of God ;' that is, to 
some form of persecution which was to 
be let loose upon the church. ^ At the 
house of God. Benson, Bloomfield, 
and many others, suppose that this re- 
fers to the Jews, and to the calamities 
that were to come around the temple 
and the holy city about to be destroyed. 
But the more obvious reference is to 
Christians, spoken of as the house or 
family of God. There is probably in 
the language here an allusion to Ezck. 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



227 



house of God : and if it first 
begin at us, what shall the end 

a Je. 25.29. Lu. 23. 31. 

tx. 6 : "Slay utterly old and young, 
ooth maids, and little children, and wo- 
men ; and begin at my sanctuary." 
Comp. Jer. sxv. 29. But the language 
used here by the apostle does not denote 
literally the temple, or the Jews, but 
those who were in his time regarded as 
the people of God — Christians — the 
church. So the phrase (HliT T?%) 
house of Jehovah, is used to denote 
the family or people of God. Num. 
xii. 7. Hos. viii. 1. Comp. also 1 Tim. 
iii. 15, and the Note on that verse. 
The sense here is, therefore, that the 
series of calamities referred to were to 
commence with the church, or were to 
come first upon the people of God. 
Schoettgen here aptly quotes a passage 
from the writings of the Rabbins: 
< Punishments never come into the 
world unless the wicked are in it ; but 
they do not begin unless they com- 
mence first with the righteous.' IT And 
if it first begin at us, what shall the 
end be of them that obey not the gos- 
pel of God? If God brings such trials 
upon us who have obeyed his gospel, 
what have we not reason to suppose he 
will bring upon those who are yet in 
their sins'? And if we are selected first 
as the objects of this visitation ; if there 
is that in us which requires such a 
method of dealing, what are we to sup- 
pose will occur in the end with those 
who make no pretensions to religion, 
but are yet living in open transgres- 
sion 1 The sentiment is, that if God 
deals thus strictly with his people ; if 
there is that in them which makes the 
visitations of his judgment proper on 
them, there is a certainty that they 
who are not his people, but who live in 
iniquity, will in the end be overwhelmed 
with the tokens of severer wrath. Their 
punishment hereafter will be certain ; 
and who can tell what will be the 



be of them that obey not the 
gospel of God ? 

18 And if a the righteous 



measure of its severity 1 Every wicked 
man when he sees the trials which God 
brings upon his own people, should 
tremble under the apprehension of the 
deeper calamity which will hereafter 
come upon himself. We may remark 
(1.) that the judgments which God brings 
upon his own people make it certain 
that the wicked will be punished. If 
he does not spare his own people, why 
should he spare others'? (2.) The 
punishment of the wicked is merely 
delayed. It begins at the house of 
God. Christians are tried, and are re- 
called from their wanderings, and are 
prepared by discipline for the heavenly 
world. The punishment of the wicked 
is often delayed to a future world, and 
in this life they have almost uninter- 
rupted prosperity, but in the end it will 
be certain. See Ps. Ixxiii. 1—^19. The 
punishment will come in the end. it 
cannot be evaded. Sooner or later jus- 
tice requires that the wicked should be 
visited with the expressions of divine 
displeasure on account of sin, and in 
the future world there will be ample 
time for the infliction of all the punish- 
ment which they deserve. 

18. And if the righteous scarcely 
be saved. If they are saved with diffi- 
culty. The word here used (fxo^) 
occurs in the following places : Acts 
xiv. 18, scarce restrained they the 
people ; xxvii. 7, and scarce were come 
over against Cnidus ; 8, and hardly 
passing it; 16, we had much work to 
come by the boat, literally, we were able 
with difficulty to get the boat ; Rom. 
v. 7, scarcely for a righteous man will 
one die ; and in the passage before us. 
The word implies that there is some 
difficulty, or obstruction, so that the 
thing came very near not to happen, 
or so that there was much risk about it 
Comp. Luke xiii. 31. The apostle in 



228 I. PETER 

scarcely be saved, where shall 



[A. D. i 



this passage seems to have had his eye 
on a verse in Proverbs (xi. 31), and 
he has merely expanded and illustrated 
it: "Behold, the righteous shall be re- 
compensed in the earth: much more the 
wicked and the sinner." By the ques- 
tion which he employs, he admits that 
the righteous are saved with difficulty, 
or that there are perils which jeopard 
their salvation, and which are of such 
a kind as to make it very near hot to 
happen. They would indeed be saved, 
but it would be in such a manner as to 
show that the circumstances were such 
as to render it, to human appearances, 
doubtful and problematical. This peril 
may have arisen from many circum- 
stances: (a) The difficulty of forming 
a plan of salvation, involving a degree 
of wisdom wholly beyond that of man, 
and of such a character that beforehand 
it would have been problematical and 
doubtful whether it could be. There 
was but one way in which it could be 
done. But what human wisdom could 
have devised that, or thought of it ] 
There was but one being who could 
save. But who would have supposed 
that the Son of God would have been 
willing to become a man, and to die on 
a cross to do it ? If he had been un- 
willing to come and die, the righteous 
could not have been saved. (£) The 
difficulty of bringing those who are 
saved to a willingness to accept of sal- 
vation. All were disposed alike to re- 
ject it ; and there were many obstacles 
in the human heart, arising from pride, 
and selfishness, and unbelief, and the 
love of sin, which must be overcome 
before any would accept of the offer of 
mercy. There was but one agent who 
could overcome these things, and in- 
duce any of the race to embrace the 
gospel — the Holy Spirit. But who 
could have anticipated that the Spirit 
of God would have undertaken to re- 
new and sanctify the polluted human 



the ungodly and the sinner ap- 
pear ? 



heart ? Yet if he had failed, there 
could have been no salvation for any. 
(c) The difficulty of keeping them 
from falling away amidst the tempta- 
tions and allurements of the world. 
Often it seems to be wholly doubtful 
whether those who have been converted 
will be kept to eternal life. They have 
so little religion ; they yield so readily 
to temptation ; they conform so much 
to the world ; they have so little 
strength to bear up under trials, that it 
seems as if there no power to preserve 
them and bring them to heaven. They 
are saved when they seemed almost 
ready to yield every thing, (d) The 
difficulty of rescuing them from the 
power of the great enemy of souls. 
The adversary has vast power, and he 
means, if he can, to destroy those who 
are the children of God. Often they are 
in most imminent danger, and it seems 
to be a question of doubtful issue whe- 
ther they will not be entirely overcome, 
and perish. It is no small matter to 
rescue a soul from the dominion of 
Satan, and to bring it to heaven, so that 
it shall be eternally safe. Through the 
internal struggles and the outward con- 
flicts of life, it seems often a matter of 
doubt whether with all their effort they 
will be saved ; and when they are 
saved they will feel that they have been 
rescued from thousands of dangers, and 
that there has been many a time when 
they have stood on the very verge of 
ruin, and when, to human appearances, 
it was scarcely possible that they could 
be saved. IT Where shall the ungod- 
ly and the sinner appear? What 
hope is there of their salvation 7 The 
meaning is, that they would certainly 
perish; and the doctrine in the pas- 
sage is, that the fact that the righteous 
are saved with so much difficulty is 
proof that the wicked will not be saved 
at ail. This follows, because (a) there 
is the same difficulty in their salvatio i 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



229 



19 Wherefore, let them that 
suffer according to the will of 
God. commit ° the keeping of 

which there was in the salvation of 
those who became righteous ; the same 
difficulty arising from the love of sin, 
the hardness of the heart, and the arts 
and power of the adversary. (5) No 
one can be saved without effort, and in 
fact the righteous are saved only by 
constant and strenuous effort on their 
part. But the wicked make no effort 
for their own salvation. They make 
use of no means for it ; they put forth 
no exertions to obtain it ; they do not 
make it a part of their plan of life. 
How then can they be saved ] But 
where will they appear 1 I answer (a) 
they will appear somewhere. They 
will not cease to exist when they pass 
away from this world. Not one of them 
will be annihilated ; and though they 
vanish from the earth, and will be seen 
here no more, yet they will make their 
appearance in some other part of the 
universe. (Z>) They will appear at the 
judgment-seat, as all others will, to re- 
ceive their sentence according to the 
deeds done in the body. It - follows 
from this (1.) that the wicked will cer- 
tainly be destroyed. If the righteous 
are scarcely saved, how can they be 1 
(2.) That there will be a state of future 
punishment, for this refers to what is 
to occur in the future world. (3.) That 
the punishment of the wicked will be 
eternal, for it is the opposite of what is 
meant by saved. The time will never 
come when it will be said that they are 
saved. But if so, their punishment 
must be eternal. 

19. Wherefore, let them that suffer 
according to the will of God. That is, 
who endure the kind of sufferings that 
he by his Providence shall appoint. 
Comp. ch. iii. 17; iv. 15, 16. IT Com- 
mit the keeping of their souls to him. 
Since there is so much danger; since 
there is no one else that can keep them ; 
and since he is a being so faithful, let 
20 



their souls to him in well doing, 
as unto a faithful Creator. 

a Ps. 37. 5. 

them commit all their interests to him. 
Comp. Ps. xxxvii. 5. The word souls 
here (^i>;ra$) is equivalent to themselves. 
They were to leave every thing in his 
hand, faithfully performing every duty, 
and not being anxious for the result. 
% In vjelUdoing. Constantly doing 
good, or seeking to perform every duty 
in a proper manner. Their business 
was always to do right ; the result was 
to be left with God. A man who is 
engaged always in well-doing, may 
safely commit all his interests to God. 
IT As unto a faithful Creator. God 
may be trusted, or confided in, in ail 
his attributes, and in all the relations 
which he sustains as Creator, Redeemer, 
Moral Governor, and Judge. In these, 
and in all other respects, we may come 
before him with confidence, and put 
unwavering trust in him. As Creator 
particularly ; as one who has brought 
us, and all creatures, and things into 
being, we may be sure that he will be 
< faithful' to the design which he had 
in view. From that design he will . 
never depart until it is fully accom- 
plished. He abandons no purpose 
which he has formed, and we may be 
assured that he will faithfully pursue 
it to the end. As our Creator we may 
come to him, and look to him for his 
protection and care. He made us. He 
had a design in our creation. He so 
endowed us that we might live for 
ever, and so that we might honour and 
enjoy him. He did not create us that 
we might be miserable ; nor does he 
wish that we should be. He formed 
us in such a way that, if we choose, 
we may be eternally happy. In that 
path, in which he has appointed us to 
go, if we pursue it, we may be sure of 
his aid and protection. If we really 
aim to accomplish the purposes for 
which we were made, we may be cer« 
tain that he will show himself to be a 



230 



I PETER. 



[A. I). 60. 



CHAPTER V. 
HHHE elders which are among 
-A- you I exhort, who am also 
an elder, and a witness of the 

'faithful Creator;' one in whom we 
may always confide. And even though 
we have wandered from him, and have 
long forgotten why we were made, and 
have loved and served the creature 
more than the Creator, we may be sure 
if we will return to him that he will 
not forget the design for which he ori- 
ginally made us. As our Creator we 
may still confide in him. Redeemed 
by the blood of his Son, and renewed 
by his Spirit after the image of him 
who created us, we may still go to him 
as our Creator, and may pray that even 
yet the high and noble ends for which 
we were made may be accomplished in 
us. Doing this, we shall find him as 
true to that purpose as though we had 
never sinned. 

CHAPTER V. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter embraces the following 
subjects: I. An exhortation to the 
elders of the churches to be faithful to 
the flocks committed to their charge, 
vs. 1 — 4. II. An exhortation to the 
younger members of the church to 
evince all proper submission to those 
who were older ; to occupy the station 
in which they were placed with a be- 
coming spirit, casting all their care on 
God. vs. 5 — 7. III. An exhortation 
to be sober and vigilant, in view of the 
dangers which beset them, and the arts 
and power of their great adversary, the 
devil, and especially to bear with pa- 
tience the trials to which they were 
subjected, in common with their Chris- 
tian brethren elsewhere, vs. 8 — 11. IV. 
Salutations, vs. 12 — 14. 

1. The elders which are among you 
I exhort. The word elder means pro- 
perly one who is old; but it is fre- 
quently used in the New Testament 
ar applicable to the officers of the 



sufferings of Christ, and also a 
partaker of the glory a that shall 
be revealed : 

a Ro. 8. 17, 18. 

church ; probably because aged persona 
were at first commonly appointed to 
these offices. See Notes on Acts xi. 30; 
xiv. 23 ; xv. 2. There is evidently an 
allusion here to the fact that such per- 
sons were selected on account of their 
age, because in the following verses 
(4 seq.) the apostle addresses particu- 
larly the younger. It is worthy of re- 
mark that he here refers only to one 
class of ministers. He does not speak 
of three 6 orders' of « bishops, priests, 
and deacons ;' and the evidence from 
the passage here is quite strong that 
there were no such orders in the churches 
of Asia Minor, to which this epistle, 
was directed. It is also worthy of re- 
mark that the word « exhort' is here 
used. The language which Peter uses 
is not that of stern and arbitrary com- 
mand ; it is that of kind and mild 
Christian exhortation. Comp. Notes 
on Philemon, 8, 9. TT Who am also 
an elder. Gr., * a fellow-presbyter' 
((Svprtpsafivifspoi). This word occurs 
nowhere else in the New Testament. 
It means that he was a co-presbyter 
with them ; and he makes this one of 
the grounds of his exhortation to them. 
He does not put it on the ground of his 
apostolical authority ; or urge it because 
he was the « vicegerent of Christ ;' or 
because he was the head of the church ; 
or because he had any pre-eminence 
over others in any way. Would he 
have used this language if he had been 
the < head of the church' on earth? 
Would he if he supposed that the dis« 
tinction between apostles and other 
ministers was to be perpetuated ? 
Would he if he believed that there were 
to be distinct orders of clergy 1 The 
whole drift of this passage is adverse 
to such a supposition. IT And a wit- 
ness to the sufferings of Christ. Peter 
was indeed a witness of the suffering 



\. D. 69.] CHAPTER V. 

2 Feed ° the flock of God 1 

a Jno. 21. 15-13. Ac. 20. 23. 

of Christ when on his trial, and doubt- 
less also when he was scourged and 
mocked, and when he was crucified. 
After his denial of his Lord, he wept 
bitterly, and evidently then followed 
him to the place where he was cruci- 
fied, and, in company with others, ob- 
served with painful solicitude the last 
agonies of his Saviour. It is not, so 
far as I know, expressly said in the 
Gospels that Peter was present at the 
crucifixion of the Saviour, but it is 
said (Luke xxiii. 49), that "all his 
acquaintance, and the women that fol- 
lowed him from Galilee, stood afar off, 
beholding these things," and nothing is 
more probable than that Peter was 
among them. His warm attachment 
to his Master, and his recent bitter re- 
pentance for having denied him, would 
lead him to follow him to the place of 
his death ; for after the painful act of 
denying him he would not be likely to 
expose himself to the charge of neglect, 
or of any want of love again. His 
own solemn declaration here makes it 
certain that he was present. He alludes 
to it now, evidently because it qualified 
him to exhort those whom he addressed. 
It would be natural to regard with pe- 
culiar respect one who had actually 
seen the Saviour in his last agony, and 
nothing would be more impressive than 
an exhortation falling from the lips of 
such a man. A son would be likely 
to listen with great respect to any sug- 
gestions which should be made by one 
who had seen his father or mother die. 
The impression which Peter had of 
that scene he would desire to have 
transferred to those whom he ad- 
dressed, that by a lively view of the 
sufferings of their Saviour they might 
be excited to fidelity in his cause. 
1T And a partaker of the glory that 
shall be revealed. iinother reason to 
make his exhortation impressive and 
solemn. He felt that he was an heir 



231 



which is among you, taking the 

1 or, as much as in you is. 

of life. He was about to partake of 
the glories of heaven. Looking for 
ward, as they did also, to the blessed 
world before him and them, he had a 
right to exhort them to the faithful per- 
formance of duty. Any one who is 
himself an heir of salvation may ap- 
propriately exhort his fellow-Christians 
to fidelity in the service of their com- 
mon Lord. 

2. Feed the flock of God. Discharge 
the duties of a shepherd towards the 
flock. On the word feed, see Notes 
on John xxi. 15. It is a word which 
Peter would be likely to remember, 
from the solemn manner in which the 
injunction to perform the duty was 
laid on him by the Saviour. The di- 
rection means to take such an oversight 
of the church" as a shepherd is accus- 
tomed to take of his flock. See Notes 
on John x. 1 — 16. IT Which is among 
you. Marg., as much as in you is. 
The translation in the text is the more 
correct. It means the churches which 
were among them, or over which they 
were called to preside. IF Taking the 
oversight thereof — i7tt(fxo7tovvts$* The 
fair translation of this word is, dis- 
charging the episcopal office ; and the 
word implies all that is ever implied 
by the word bishop in the New Testa- 
ment. This idea should have been 
expressed in the translation. The 
meaning is not merely to take the over- 
sight — for that might be done in a 
subordinate sense by any one in office; 
but it is to take such an oversight as is 
implied in the episcopate, or by the 
word bishop. The words episcopate, 
episcopal, and episcopacy, are merely 
the Greek word used here and its cor- 
relatives transferred to our language. 
The sense is that of overseeing ; taking 
the oversight of; looking after, as of a 
flock ; and the word has originally no 
reference to what is now spoken of as 
peculiarly the episcopal office. It is a 



232 



1. PETER. 



[A. D. 60. 



oversight thereof, not by con- 
straint, but willingly ; ° not for 
filthy lucre, b but of a ready 
mind ; 



word strictly applicable to any minister 
of religion, or officer of a church. In 
the passage before us this duty was to 
be performed by those who, in ver. 1, 
are called presbyters or elders ; and this 
is one of the numerous passages in the 
New Testament which prove that all 
that is properly implied in the per- 
formance of the episcopal functions 
pertained to those who were called 
presbyters, or elders. If so, there was 
no higher grade of ministers to which 
the peculiar duties of the episcopate 
were to be entrusted ; that is, there 
was no class of officers corresponding 
to those who are now called bishops. 
Comp. Notes on Acts xx. 28. f Not 
by constraint, but willingly. Not as 
if you felt that a heavy yoke was im- 
posed on you, or a burden from which 
you would gladly be discharged. Go 
cheerfully to your duty as a work which 
you love, and act like a freeman in it, 
and not as a slave. Arduous as are 
the labours of the ministry, yet there 
is no work on earth in which a man 
can and should labour more cheerfully. 
IF Not for filthy lucre. Shameful or 
dishonourable gain. Notes, 1 Tim. 
iii. 3. f But of a ready mind. Cheer- 
fully, promptly. We are to labour in 
this work not under the influence of 
the desire of gain, but from the prompt- 
ings of love. There is all the differ- 
ence conceivable between one who does 
a thing because he is paid for it, and 
one who does it from love — between, 
for example, the manner in which one 
attends on us when we are sick who 
loves us, and one who is merely hired 
to do it. Such a difference is there in 
the spirit with which one who is actu- 
ated by mercenary motives, and one 
whose heart is in the work, will en- 
gage in the ministry. 



3 Neither as 1 being lords over 
God's heritage, but being en sam- 
ples c to the flock. 

a 1 Co. 9. 17. b 1 Ti. 3. 3, 8. 

1 or, overruling. c 1 Ti. 4. 12. 

3. Neither as being lords. Marg., 
overruling. The word here used (^a- 
taxvptevco) is rendered exercise domi- 
nion over, in Matt. xx. 25; exercise 
lordship over, in Mark x. 42 ; and 
overcame, in. Acts xix. 18. It does no! 
elsewhere occur in the New Testament 
It refers properly to that kind of juris- 
diction which civil rulers or magistrates 
exercise. This is an exercise of autho- 
rity, as contradistinguished from the 
influence of reason, persuasion, and 
example. The latter pertains to the 
ministers of religion ; the former is for- 
bidden to them. Their dominion is 
not to be that of temporal lordship ; it 
is to be that of love and truth. This 
command would prohibit all assump- 
tion of temporal power by the ministers 
of religion, and all conferring of titles 
of nobility on those who are preachers 
of the gospel. It needs scarcely to be 
said that it has been very little regarded 
in the church. ^ Over God's heritage 
— ifcov xhrftav* Vulgate, in cloris — over 
the clergy. The Greek word here 
(xhrjpos — kleros) is that from which 
the word clergy has been derived ; and 
some have interpreted it here as refer- 
ring to the clergy, that is, to priests 
and deacons who are under the autho- 
rity of a bishop. Such an interpreta- 
tion, however, would hardly be adopted 
now. The word means, properly, (a) 
a lot, die, any thing used in determin- 
ing chances ; (5) a part, or portion', 
such as is assigned by lot; hence (c) 
an office to which one is designated, 
or appointed by lot or otherwise ; and 
(c?) in general any possession or heri- 
tage. Acts xxvi. 18. Col. i. 12. The 
meaning here is, « not lording it over 
the possessions or the heritage of God. 
The reference is, undoubtedly, to the 
church, as that which is peculiarly hi§ 



A. D. 60.] 



CHAPTER V. 



233 



4 And when the chief" Shep- 
herd shall appear, ye shall re- 
ceive a crown b of glory that 
fadeth not away. 

a He. 13. 20. b 2 Ti. 4. 8. 

property ; his own in the world. Whit- 
by and others suppose that it refers 
to the possessions or property of the 
church; Doddridge explains it — 'not 
assuming dominion over those who 
fall to your lot,' supposing it to mean 
that they were not to domineer over 
the particular congregations commit- 
ted by Providence to their care. But 
the other interpretation is most in ac- 
cordance with the usual meaning of 
the word. IT But being ensamples to 
the flock. Examples. See Notes on 
1 Tim. iv. 12. Peter has drawn here 
with great beauty the appropriate cha- 
racter of the ministers of the gospel, 
and described the spirit with which 
they should be actuated in the discharge 
of the duties of their office. But 
how different it is from the character 
of many who have claimed to be 
ministers of religion ; and especially 
how different from that corrupt com- 
munion which professes in a special 
manner to recognise Peter as the head, 
and the vicegerent of Christ. It is 
well remarked by Benson on this pas- 
sage, that " the church of Rome could 
not well have acted more directly con- 
trary to this injunction of St. Peter's, 
if she had studied to disobey it, and to 
form herself upon a rule that should 
be the reverse of this." 

4. And when the chief Shepherd 
shall appear. The prince of the pas- 
tors — the Lord Jesus Christ. « Peter, 
in the passage above, ranks himself 
with the elders ; here he ranks Christ 
himself with i\\epastors? Benson. See 
Notes on ch. ii. 25. Comp. Heb. xiii. 
20. \ Ye shall receive a crown of 
glory. A glorious crown or diadem. 
Comp. Notes on 2 Tim. iv. 8. IT That 
fadeth not away. This is essentially 
the same word, though somewhat dif- 
20* 



5 Likewise, ye younger, sub- 
mit yourselves unto the elder : 
yea, all of you be subject one 
to another, and be clothed with 

c Ep. 5. 21. 

ferent in form, which occurs in ch. i. 4. 
See Notes on that verse. The word 
occurs nowhere else in the New Tes- 
tament. Comp. Notes on 1 Cor. ix. 25. 

5. Likewise, ye younger. All 
younger persons of either sex. IF Sub' 
mit yourselves to the elder. That is, 
with the respect due to their age, and 
to the offices which they sustain. There 
is here, probably, a particular refer- 
ence to those who sustained the office 
of elders or teachers, as the same 
word is used here which occurs in ver. 
1. As there was an allusion in that 
verse, by the use of the word, to age, 
so there is in this verse to the fact 
that they sustained an office in the 
church. The general duty, however, 
is here implied, as it is everywhere in 
the Bible, that all suitable respect is to 
be shown to the aged. Comp. Lev. 
xix. 32. 1 Tim. v. 1. Acts xxiii. 4. 
2 Pet. ii. 9. % Yea, all of you be sub- 
ject one to another. In your proper 
ranks and relations. You are not to 
attempt to lord it over one another, but 
are to treat each other with deference 
and respect. See Notes, Eph. v. 21. 
Phil. ii. 3. 1T And be clothed ivith 
humility. The word here rendered 
be clothed (iyxofifioo/nai) occurs no- 
where else in the New Testament. It 
is derived from xoufiof — a strip, string, 
or loop to fasten a garment ; and then 
the word refers to a garment that was 
fastened with strings. The word iyxopt,- 
jScOjUa (egkombomd), refers particularly 
to a long white apron, or outer gar- 
ment that was commonly worn by 
slaves. See Rob. Lex. Passow, Lex. 
There is, therefore, peculiar force in 
the use of this word here, as denoting 
an humble mind. They were to be 
willing to take any place, and to per- 
form anj office, however humble, ia 



234 I. PE 1 

humility : for God a resisteth the 
proud, and giveth grace to the 
humble. 

6 Humble b yourselves there- 
fl Ja. 4. 6. b Is. 57. 15. c Ps. 55. 22. 

order to serve and benefit others. They 
were not to assume a style and dignity 
of state and authority, as if they would 
lord it over others, or as if they were 
better than others : but they were to 
be willing to Occupy any station, how- 
ever humble, by which they might ho- 
nour God. It is known that not a few 
of the early Christians actually sold 
themselves as slaves, in order that they 
might preach the gospel to those who 
were in bondage. The sense here is, 
they were to put on humility as a gar- 
ment bound fast to them, as a servant 
bound fast to him the apron that was 
significant of his station. Comp. Col. 
iii. 13. It is not unusual in the Scrip- 
tures, as well as in other writings, to 
compare the virtues with articles of 
apparel ; as that with which we are 
clothed, or in which we are seen by 
others. Comp. Isa. xi. 5; lix. 17. 
IT For God resisteth the proud, &c. 
This passage is quoted from the Greek 
translation in Prov. iii. 34. See it ex- 
plained in the Notes on James iv. 6. 
where it is also quoted. 

6. Humble yourselves therefore. Be 
willing to take a low place — a place 
such as becomes you. Do not arrogate 
to yourselves what does not belong to 
you ; do not evince pride and haughti- 
ness in your manner; do not exalt 
yourselves above others. See Notes 
on Luke xiv. 7 — 11. Comp. Prov. xv. 
33; xviii. 12; xxii. 4. Mic. vi. 8. 
Phil. ii. 8. f Under the mighty hand 
of God. This refers probably to the 
calamities which he had brought upon 
them, or was about to bring upon them ; 
represented here, as often elsewhere, as 
the infliction of his hand — the hand 
being that by which we accomplish any 
thing. When that hand was upon 



TER. [A. D. 60. 

fore under the mighty hand of 
God, that he may exalt you in 
due time : 

7 Casting c all your care upon 
him, for he careth for you. 



them they were not to be lifted up with 
pride and with a spirit of rebellion, but 
were to take a lowly place before him, 
and submit to him with a calm mind, 
believing that he would exalt them in 
due time. There is no situation in 
which one will be more likely to fee) 
humility than in scenes of affliction 

That he may exalt you in due time. 
When he shall see it to be a proper 
time. (1.) They might be assured 
that this would be done at some time. 
He would not always leave them in 
this low and depressed condition. He 
would take off his heavy hand, and 
raise them up from their state of sad 
ness and suffering. (2.) This would 
be in due time ; that is, in the proper 
time, in the best time, (a) It might 
be in the present life, (b) It would 
certainly be in the world to come. 
There they would be exalted to honours 
which will be more than an equiva- 
lent for all the persecution, poverty 
and contempt which are suffered in 
this world. He may well afford to be 
humble here who is to be exalted to a 
throne in heaven. 

7. Casting all your care upon him, 
Comp. Ps. lv. 22, from whence this 
passage was probably taken. " Cast 
thy burden upon the Lord, and he 
shall sustain thee ; he shall never suf 
fer the righteous to be moved." Comp. 
for a similar sentiment, Matt. vi. 25 — 
30. The meaning is, that we are to 
commit our whole cause to him. If 
we suffer heavy trials ; if we lose our 
friends, health, or property ; if we have 
arduous and responsible duties to per- 
form ; if we feel that we have no 
strength, and are in danger of being 
crushed by what is laid upon us, we 
may go and cast all upon the Lord ; 



A. D. 60.] CHAPTER V. 235 

8 Be sober, be vigilant ; be- cause your adversary the devil, 



that is, we may look to him for grace 
and strength, and feel assured that he 
will enable us to sustain all that is laid 
upon us. The relief in the case will 
be as real, and as full of consolation, 
as if he took the burden and bore it 
himself. He will enable us to bear 
with ease what we supposed we could 
never have done ; and the burden which 
he lays upon us will be light. Matt. xi. 
30. Comp. Notes, Phil. iv. 6, 7. % For 
he careth for you. Notes, Matt. x. 
29 — 31. He is not like the gods wor- 
shipped by many of the heathen, who 
were supposed to be so exalted, and so 
distant, that they did not interest them- 
selves in human affairs, but he conde- 
scends to regard the wants of the mean- 
est of his creatures. It is one of the 
glorious attributes of the true God that 
he can and will thus notice the wants 
of the mean as well as the mighty ; 
and one of the richest of all consola- 
tions when we are afflicted, and are 
despised by the world, is the thought 
that we are not forgotten by our hea- 
venly Father. He who remembers the 
falling sparrow, and who hears' the 
young ravens when they cry, will not 
be unmindful of us. « Yet the Lord 
tkinketh on me," was the consolation 
of David, when he felt that he was 
" poor and needy." Ps. xl. 17. "When 
my father and my mother forsake me, 
then the Lord will take me up." Ps. 
xxvii. 10. Comp. Isa. xtix. 15. What 
more can one wish than to be permitted 
to feel that the great and merciful Je- 
hovah thinks on him ? What are we ; 
what have we done, that should be 
worthy of such condescension 1 Re- 
member, poor, despised, afflicted child 
of God, that you will never be forgot- 
ten. Friends on earth, the great, the 
gay, the noble, the rich, may forget 
you ; God never will. Remember that 
you will never be entirely neglected. 
Father, mother, neighbour, friend ; 
those whom you have loved, and those 



to whom you have done good, may 
neglect you, but God never will. You 
may become poor, and they may pass 
by you ; you may lose your office, and 
flatterers may no longer throng your 
path ; your beauty may fade, and your 
admirers may leave you ; you may 
grow old, and be infirm, and appear to 
be useless in the world, and no one 
may seem to care for you ; but it is 
not thus with the God whom you serve. 
When he loves, he always loves; if he 
regarded you with favour when you 
were rich, he will not forget you when 
you are poor; he who watched over 
you with a parent's care in the bloom 
of youth, will not cast you off when 
you are 1 old and gray-headed.' Ps. 
lxxi. 18. If we are what we should 
be, we shall never be without a friend 
as long as there is a God. 

8. Be sober. While you cast your 
cares upon God, and have no anxiety 
on that score, let your solicitude be 
directed to another point. Do not 
doubt that he is able and willing 
to support and befriend you, but be 
watchful against your foes. See the 
word used here fully explained in the 
Notes on 1 Thess. v. 6. ^ Be vigi- 
lant. This word (yp^yopiw) is every- 
where else in the New Testament ren- 
dered watch. See Matt. xxiv. 42, 43 ; 
xxv. 13; xxvi. 38, 40, 41. It means 
that we should exercise careful circum- 
spection, as one does when he is in 
danger. In reference to the matter 
here referred to, it means that we are 
to be on our guard against the wiles 
and the power of the evil one. IT Your 
adversary the devil. Your enemy ; he 
who is opposed to you. Satan opposes 
man in his best interests. He resists 
his efforts to do good ; his purposes to 
return to God ; his attempts to secure 
his. own salvation. There is no mora 
appropriate appellation that can be 
given to him than to say that he resists 
all our efforts to obey God and to so 



238 



I. PETER. 



[a. d. ea 



as a a roaring lion, waiketh about, 
seeking whom he may devour : 
9 Whom resist, b stedfast in 

a Re. 12. 12. b Ja. 4. 7. 

cure the salvation of our own souls. 
IT As a roaring lion, Comp. Rev. xii. 
12. Sometimes Satan is represented 
as transforming himself into an angel 
of light (see Notes on 2 Cor. xi. 14) ; 
and sometimes, as here, as a roaring 
lion; denoting the efforts which he 
makes to alarm and overpower us. 
The lion here is not the crouching lion 
— the lion stealthfuiiy creeping towards 
his foe — but it is the raging monarch 
of the woods, who by his terrible roar 
would intimidate all so that they might 
become an easy prey. The particular 
thing referred to here, doubtless, is per- 
secution, resembling in its terrors a 
roaring lion. When error comes in ; 
when seductive arts abound ; when the 
world allures and charms, the repre- 
sentation of the character of the foe is 
not of the roaring lion, but of the silent 
influence of an enemy that has clothed 
himself in the garb of an angel of light. 
2 Cor. xi. 14. IT Waiketh about, seek- 
ing whom he may devour, " Natural- 
ists have observed that a lion roars 
when he is roused with hunger, for 
then he is most fierce, and most eagerly 
seeks his prey. See Judg. xiv. 5. Ps. 
xxii. 13. Jer. ii. 15. Ezek. xxii. 25. 
Hos. xi. 10. Zeph. iii. 3. Zech. xi. 3." 
Benson, 

9. Whom resist. See Notes, James 
iv. 7. You are in no instance to yield 
to him, but are in all forms to stand 
up and oppose him. Feeble in your- 
selves, you are to confide in the arm 
of God. No matter in what form of 
terror he approaches, you are to fight 
manfully the fight of faith. Comp. 
Notes on Eph. vi. 10—17. IT Stedfast 
in the faith. Confiding in God. You 
are to rely on him alone, and the means 
of successful resistance are to be found 
in the resources of faith. See Notes 
on Eph. vi. 16. «f Kncwmg that the 



the faith, knowing that the same 
afflictions are accomplished in 
your brethren that are m the 
world. 

same afflictions are accomplished in 
your brethren that are in the world. 
Comp. for a similar sentiment, 1 Cor. 
x. 1 3. The meaning is, that you should 
be encouraged to endure your trials by 
the fact that your fellow- Christians 
suffer the same things. This consider- 
ation might furnish consolation to them 
in their trials in the following ways : 
(1.) They would feel that they were 
suffering only the common lot of Chris- 
tians. There was no evidence that 
God was peculiarly angry with them, 
or that he had in a peculiar manner 
forsaken them. (2.) The fact that 
others were enabled to bear their trials 
should be an argument to prove to 
them that they would also be able. If 
they looked abroad, and saw that others 
were sustained, and were brought off 
triumphant, they might be assured that 
this would be the case with them. (3.) 
There would be the support derived 
from the fact that they were not alone 
in suffering. We can bear pain more 
easily if we feel that we are not alone 
— that it is the common lot— that we 
are in circumstances where we may 
have sympathy from others. This re- 
mark may be of great practical value 
to us in view of persecutions, trials, 
and death. The consideration sug- 
gested here by Peter to sustain those 
whom he addressed, in the trials of 
persecution, may be applied now to 
sustain and comfort us in every form 
of apprehended or real calamity. We 
are all liable to suffering. We are 
exposed to sickness, bereavement, death. 
We often feel as if we could not bear 
up under the sufferings that may be 
before us, and especially do we dread 
the great trial — death. It may fur- 
nish us some support and consolation 
to remember (L) That this is the com* 
mon lot of men. There is nothing 



A. D. GO.] CHAPTER V. 2tf7 

10 But the God of all grace, that ye have suffered a while," 
who hath called us unto his eter- make you perfect, b stablish, c 
nal glory by Christ Jesus, after strengthen, d settle e you. 

a 2 Co. 4. 16. b He. 13. 21. c 2 Th. 3. 3. d Zee. 10. 6, 12. e Ps. 138. 7, 8. 



peculiar in our case. It proves nothing 
as to the question whether we are ac- 
cepted of God, and are beloved by him, 
that we suffer, for those whom he has 
loved most have been often among the 
greatest sufferers. We often think that 
our sufferings are peculiar ; that there 
have been none like them. Yet, if we 
knew all, we should find that thousands 
— and among them the most wise, and 
pure, and good — have endured suffer- 
ings of the same kind as ours, and 
perhaps far more intense in degree. 
(2.) Others have been conveyed tri- 
umphantly through their trials. We 
have reason to hope and to believe that 
we shall also, for (a) our trials are no 
greater than theirs have been ; and (h) 
their natural strength was no greater 
than ours. Many of them were timid, 
and shrinking, and trembling, and felt 
that they had no strength, and that 
they should fail under the trial. (3.) 
The grace which sustained them can 
sustain us. The hand of God is' not 
shortened that it cannot save. His 
ear is not heavy that it cannot hear. 
His power is as great, and his grace is 
as fresh, as it was when the first sufferer 
was supported by him; and that divine 
strength which supported David and 
Job in their afflictions, and the apostles 
and martyrs in theirs, is just as power- 
ful as it was when they applied to God 
to be upheld in their sorrows. (4.) We 
are especially fearful of death — fearful 
that our faith will fail, and that we shall 
be left to die without support or conso- 
lation. Yet iet us remember that death 
is the common lot of man. Let us re- 
member who have died — tender females ; 
children ; the timid, and the fearful ; 
those, in immense multitudes, who had 
no more strength by nature than we 
have. Let us think of our own kindred 
who have. died. A wife has died, and 



shall a husband be afraid to die! A 
child, and shall a father? A sister, 
and shall a brother 1 It does much to 
take away the dread of death to re- 
member \hat a mother has gone through 
the dark valley ; that that gloomy vale 
has been trod by delicate, and timid, 
and beloved sisters. Shall / be afraid 
to go where they have gone? Shall I 
apprehend that I shall find no grace 
that is able to sustain me where they 
have found it] Must the valley of the 
shadow of death be dark and gloomy 
to me, when they found it to be illumi- 
nated with the opening light of heaven 1 
Above all, it takes away the fear of 
death when I remember that my Saviour 
has experienced all the horrors which 
can ever be in death ; that he has slept 
in the tomb, and made it a hallowed 
resting-place. 

10. But the God of all grace. The 
God who imparts all needful grace. It 
was proper in their anticipated trials to 
direct them to God, and to breathe forth 
in their behalf an earnest and affection- 
ate prayer that they might be support- 
ed. A prayer of this kind by an apos- 
tle would also be to them a sort of 
pledge or assurance that the needed 
grace would be granted them, f Who 
hath called us unto his eternal glory. 
And who means, therefore, that we 
shall be saved. As he has called us 
to his glory, we need not apprehend 
that he will leave or forsake us. On 
the meaning of the word called, see 
Notes on Eph. iv. 1. IT After that ye 
have suffered a while. After you have 
suffered as long as he shall appoint. 
The Greek is, 4 having suffered a little? 
and may refer either to time or degree. 
In both respects the declaration concern- 
ing afflictions is true. They are short, 
compared with eternity ; they are light, 
compared with the exceeding and eter 



238 



t PETER. 



[A. B. 60, 



11 To him be a glory and do- 
minion for ever and ever. Amen. 

12 By Sylvanus, b a faithful 
brother unto you, as I suppose, 

ac.4. 11. b 2 Co. 1.9. 

rial weight of glory. See Notes on 2 
Cor. iv. 16 — 18. IT Make you perfect. 
By means of your trials. The tenden- 
cy of affliction is to make us, peifect. 
IT Stablish. The Greek word means 
to set fast ; to fix firmly; to render 
immovable. Luke xvi. 26 ; ix. 51 ; 
xxii. 32. Rom. i. 1 1 ; xvi. 25. 1 Thess. 
iii. 2, 1 3, et at. IT Strengthen. Give 
you strength to bear all this. IT Settle 
you. Literally, found you, or establish 
you on a firm foundation — ^sus%L^ast, 
The allusion is to a house which is so 
firmly fixed on a foundation that it will 
not be moved by winds or floods. Comp. 
Notes on Matt. vii. 24, seq. 

1 1. To him be glory, &c. See Notes, 
ch. iv. 11. 

12. By Sylvanus. Or Silas. See 
Notes on 2 Cor. i. 19. 1 Thess. i. 1. 
He was the intimate friend and com- 
panion of Paul, and had laboured much 
with him in the regions where the 
churches were situated to which this 
epistle was addressed. In what man- 
ner he became acquainted with Peter, 
or why he was now with him in Baby- 
lon, is unknown. IT A faithful brother 
unto you, as I suppose. The expres- 
sion < as I suppose' (o$ 7.oyi£o^ot), does 
not imply that there was any doubt on 
the mind of the apostle, but indicates 
rather a firm persuasion that what he 
said was true. Thus Rom. viii. 18. 
*' For I reckon (koytjojuott) that the 
sufferings of this present time are not 
worthy to be compared," &c. That 
is, I am fully persuaded of it ; I have 
no doubt of it. Peter evidently had 
no doubt on this point, but he probably 
could not speak from any personal 
knowledge. He had not been with 
them when Silas was, and perhaps not 
at all ; for they may have been 'stran- 
gers' io him personally — for the word 



I have written briefly, exhorting, 
and testifying that this is the 
true grace of God wherein ye 
stand. 

c 1 Co. 15. 1. 

'strangers,' in ch. i. 1, may imply 
that he had no personal acquaintance 
with them. Silas, however, had been 
much with them (comp. Acts xv. 17— 
31), and Peter had no doubt that hfc 
had shown himself to be « a faithful 
brother' to them. An epistle conveyed 
by his hands could not but be wel- 
come. It should be observed, however, 
that the expression ' I suppose' has 
been differently interpreted by some. 
Wetstein understands it as meaning, 
« not that he supposed Svlvanus to be 
a faithful brother, for who, says he, 
could doubt that] but that he had 
written as he understood matters, hav- 
ing carefully considered the subject, 
and as he regarded things to be true,' 
and refers for illustration to Rom. viii. 
18. Phil. iv. 8. Heb. xi. 9. Grotius 
understands it as meaning, 4 if I remem- 
ber right ;' and supposes that the idea 
is, that he shows his affection for them 
by saying that this was not the first 
time that he had written to them, but 
that he had written before briefly, and 
sent the letter, as well as he could re- 
member, by Sylvanus. But there is 
no evidence that he had written to 
them before, and the common interpre- 
tation is undoubtedly to be preferred. 
IF Exhorting. No small part of the 
epistle is taken up with exhortations. 
If And testifying. Bearing witness. 
The main design of the office of the 
apostles was to bear witness to the 
truth (Notes on 1 Cor. ix. 1), and 
Peter in this epistle discharged that 
part of the functions of his office to- 
wards the scattered Christians of Asia 
Minor. IT That this is the true grace 
of God wherein ye stand. That the 
religion in which you stand, or which 
you now hold, is that which is identi 
fied with the grace or favour of God 



A.D.60.] CHAP r 

13 The church that is at Ba- 
bylon, elected together with you, 
saluteth you; and so doth Mar- 
cus my son. 

a Iio. 16. 16. 

Christianity, not Judaism or Paganism, 
was the true religion. To show this, 
and bear continual witness to it, was 
the leading design of the apostolic 
office. 

13. The church that is at Babylon, 
elected together with you. It will be 
seen at once that much of this is sup- 
plied by our translators ; the words 
< church that is' not being in the origi- 
nal. The Greek is ^ h |3a]3i^.wrt avvtx- 
hex'tri, and might refer to a church, or 
to a female. Wall, Mill, and some 
others, suppose that the reference is to 
a Christian woman, perhaps the wife 
of Peter himself. Comp. 2 John i. 
But the Arabic, Syriac, and Vulgate, 
as well as the English versions, supply 
the word church. This interpretation 
seems to be confirmed by the word 
rendered elected together with — awsx- 
Ksx'tri' This word would be properly 
used in reference to one individual if 
writing to another individual, but 
would hardly be appropriate as applied 
to an individual addressing a church. It 



'ER V. 239 

14 Greet ° ye one another with 
a kiss of charity. Peace b he 
with you all that are in Christ 
Jesus. Amen. 

b Ep. 6. 23. 

could not readily be supposed, moreover, 
that any one female in Babylon could 
have such a prominence, or be so well 
known, that nothing more would be 
necessary to designate her, than merely 
to say * the elect female.' On the word 
Babylon here, and the place denoted 
by it, see the Intro., §2. f And so 
doth Marcus my son. Probably John 
Mark. See Notes on Acts xii. 12; 
xv. 37. Why he was now with Peter 
is unknown. If this was the Maik 
referred to, then the word son is a title 
of affection, and is used by Peter with 
reference to his own superior age. It 
is possible, however, that some other 
Mark may be referred to, in whose 
conversion Peterhad been instrumental. 

14. Greet ye one another with a kiss 
of charity. A kiss of love ; a common 
method of affectionate salutation in the 
times of the apostles. See Notes on 
Rom. xvi. 16. % Peace be with you 
all that are in Christ Jesus. Thai are 
true Christians. Notes, Eph. vi. 23 
PhiL iv. 7, 



THE 



SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL OF PETER. 



INTRODUCTION. 



§ 1. The Genuineness and Authenticity of the Epistle. 

It is well known that at an early period of the Christian history there were 
doubts respecting the canonical authority of the Second Epistle of Peter. The 
soie ground of the doubt was, whether Peter was the author of it. Eusebius, in 
the chapter of his ecclesiastical history where he speaks of the New Testament in 
genpral, reckons it among the (xvto'ksyouspcu {antilegomena), or those books which 
were not universally admitted to be genuine ; literally, « those which were spoken 
against? B. iii. ch. 25. This does not imply that even he, however, disbelieved 
its genuineness, but merely that it was numbered among those about which there 
bad not been always entire certainty. Jerome says, " Peter wrote two epistles, 
called Catholic ; the second of which is denied by many to be his, because of the 
difference of style from the former." Origen, before him, had also said, " Peter, 
on whom the church is built, has left one epistle [universally] acknowledged. 
Let it be granted that he also wrote a second. For it is doubted of." See 
Lardner, vol. vi. p. 255, Ed. Lond., 1829. Both the epistles of Peter, how- 
ever, were received as genuine in the fourth and following centuries by all 
Christians, except the Syrians. The first epistle was never doubted to have 
been the production of Peter. In regard to the second, as remarked above, it 
was doubted by some. The principal ground of the doubt, if not the entire 
ground, was the difference of style between the two, especially in the second 
chapter, and the fact that the old Syriac translator, though he admitted the 
E'pistle of James, which was also reckoned among the 4 doubtful' epistles, did 
not translate the Second Epistle of Peter. That version was made, probably, 
at the close of the first century, or in the second ; and it is said that it is to be 
presumed that if this epistle had been then in existence, and had been regarded 
as genuine, it would also have been translated by him. 

It is of importance, therefore, to state briefly the evidence of the genuineness 
and authenticity of this epistle. In doing this, it is proper to regard the first 
epistle as undoubtedly genuine and canonical, for that was never called in 
question. That being admitted, the genuineness of this epistle may be argued 
on the following grounds. (1.) It does not appear to have been rejected by 
any one. It w,as merely doubted whether it was genuine. How far even 
this doubt extended is not mentioned. It is referred to only by Jerome, Origen, 
and Eusebius, though there is not the least evidence that even they had any 
doubts of its genuineness. They merely state that there were some persons 
who had doubts on the subject, from the difference of style between this and 
feci!) 



INTRODUCTION. 



ccxli 



the former epistle. This fact, indeed, as Wall has remarked (Crit. Notes on 
the N. T. pp.358, 359), will serve at least to show the care which was evinced 
in admitting books to be canonical, proving that they were not received without 
the utmost caution, and that if the slightest doubt existed in the case of any 
one, it was honestly expressed. (2.) Even all doubt on the subject disappeared 
as early as the third and fourth centuries, and the epistle was received as being 
unquestionably the production of Peter. The effect of the examination in the 
case was to remove all suspicion, and it has never since been doubted that the 
epistle was written by Peter; at least no doubt has arisen, except from the fact 
stated by Jerome and Origen, that it was not universally admitted to be genuine. 
(3.) This epistle purports to have been written by the author of the former, and 
has all ihe internal marks of genuineness which could exist, (a) It bears the 
inscriptijn of the name of the same apostle. " Simon Peter, a servant, and an 
apostle, of Jesus Christ." ch. i. 1. (£) There is an allusion in ch. i. 14, which 
Peter or,ly could appropriately make, and which an impostor, or forger of an 
epistle, would hardly have thought of introducing. "Knowing that shortly I 
must put off this my tabernacle, even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath showed 
me." Here, there is an evident reference to the Saviour's prediction of the 
death of Veter, recorded in John xxi. 18, 19. It is conceivable, indeed, that an 
adroit forger of an epistle might have introduced such a circumstance; but the 
supposition that it is genuine is much more natural. It is such an allusion as Peter 
would naturally make ; it would have required much skill and tact in another to 
have introduced it so as not to be easily detected, even if it had occurred to him to 
personate Peter at all. Would not a forger of an epistle have been likely to 
mention pardcularly what kind of death was predicted by the Saviour, and not 
to have made a mere allusion] (c) In ch. i. 16 — 18, theie is another allusion 
of a similar kind. The writer claims to have been one of the 4 eye-witnesses 
of the majesty' of the Lord Jesus when he was transfigured in the holy mount. 
It was natural for Peter to refer to this, for he was with him ; and he has men- 
tioned it just as one would be likely to do who had actually been with him, and 
who was writing from personal recollection. A forger of the epistle would have 
been likely to be more particular, and would have described the scene more 
minutely, and the place where it occurred, and would have dwelt more on the 
nature of the evidence furnished there of the divine mission of the Saviour, 
(c?) In ch. iii. 1, it is stated that this is a second epistle written to the same per- 
sons as a former one had been ; and that the writer aimed at substantially the 
same object in both. Here the plain reference is to the first epistle of Peter 
which has always been acknowledged to be genuine. It may be said that one 
who forged the epistle might have made this allusion. This is true, but it may 
be doubtful whether he would do it. It would have increased the liability to 
detection, for it would not be easy to imitate the manner, and to carry out the 
views of the apostle. (4.) To these considerations it may be added, that there 
is clear internal evidence of another kind to show that it was written by Peter. 
This evidence, too long to be introduced here, may be seen in Michaelis' Intro- 
duction, iv. 349 — 356. The sum of this internal evidence is, that it would not 
have been practicable for a writer of the first or second century to have imitated 
Peter so as to have escaped detection, and that, in general, it is not difficult to 
detect the books that were forged in imitation of, and in the name of, the 
apostles. 

As to the alleged objection in regard to the difference of the style in th* 
second chapter, see Michaelis, iv. pp. 352 — 356. Why it was not inserted in 
21 



ccxlii 



INTRODUCTION. 



the old Syriac version is not known. It is probable that the author of that ver« 
sion was exceedingly cautious, and did not admit any books about which he had 
any doubt. The fact that this was doubted by some, and that these doubts were 
not removed from his mind, as in the case of the Epistle of James, was a good 
reason for his not inserting it, though it by no means proves that it is not ge- 
nuine. It came, however, to be acknowledged afterwards by the Syrians as 
genuine and canonical. Ephrem the Syrian, a writer of the fourth century, not 
only quotes several passages of it, but expressly ascribes it to Peter. Thus, in 
the second volume of his Greek works, p. 387, he says, « The blessed Peter, 
also, the Coryphaeus of the apostles, cries, concerning that day, saying, The 
day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night, in which the heavens being on 
fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.' This is 
literally quoted (in the Greek) from 2 Peter, iii. 12. See Michaelis, as above, 
p. 348. And Asseman, in his catalogue of the Vatican Manuscripts, gives an 
account of a Syriac book of Lessons to be read, in which is one taken from this 
epistle. See Michaelis. 

These considerations remove all reasonable doubt as to the propriety of ad- 
mitting this epistle into the canon, as the production of Peter. 

§ 2. The Time when the Epistle was written. 
In regard to the time when this epistle was written, nothing can be deter- 
mined with absolute certainty. All that appears on that subject from the epistle 
itself is, that at the time of writing it the author was expecting soon to die. ch 
i. 14. "Knowing that shortly I must put off this my tabernacle, even as our 
Lord Jesus Christ hath showed me." What evidence he had that he was soon 
to die he has not informed us, nor is it known even what he meant precisely by 
the word shortly* The Greek word (ta%wyf) is indeed one that would imply 
that the event was expected not to be far off; but a man would not unnaturally 
use it who felt that he was growing old, even though he should in fact live 
several years afterwards. The Saviour (John xxi. 18) did not state to Peter 
when his death would occur, except that it would be when he should be « old? 
-^d the probability is, that the fact that he wa£ growing old was the only inti- 
mation that he had that he was soon to die. Ecclesiastical history informs us 
that he died at Rome, A. D. 66, in the 12th year of the reign of Nero. See 
Calmet, Art. Peter. Comp. Notes on John xxi. 18, 19. Lardner supposes, from 
ch. i. 13 — 15 of this epistle, that this was written not long after the first, as he 
then says that he « would not be negligent to put them in remembrance of these 
things.' The two epistles he supposes were written in the year 63 or 64, or at 
the latest 65. Michaelis supposes it was in the year 64 ; Calmet that it was in 
the year of Christ 68, or according to the Vulgar Era, A. D. 65. Probably the 
year 64 or 65 would not be far from the real date of this epistle. If so, it was, 
according to Calmet, one year only before the martyrdom of Peter (A. D. 66), 
and six years before the destruction of Jerusalem by Titus, A. D. 71. 

§ 3. The Persons to whom this Epistle was written, and the place where 
On this subject there is no room for doubt. In ch. iii. 1, the writer says, 
" This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you ; in both which I stir up 
your pure minds by way of remembrance." This epistle was written, therefore, 
to the same persons as the former. On the question to whom that was ad- 
dressed, see the Intro, to that epistle, § 1. The epistles were addressed to per- 
sons who resided in Asia Minor, and in both they are regarded as in the midst 



INTRODUCTION. 



ccxliii 



of trials. No certain intimation of the place where this epistle was written is 
given in the epistle itself. It is probable that it was at the same place as the 
former, as if it had not been we may presume that there would have been some 
reference to the fact that he had changed his residence, or some local allusion 
which would have enabled us to determine the fact. If he wrote this epistle 
from Babylon, as he did the former one (see Intro, to that epistle, § 2), it is 
not known why he was so soon removed to Rome, and became a martyr there. 
Indeed, every thing respecting the last days of this apostle is involved in great 
uncertainty. See the article Peter in Calmet's Dictionary. See these questions 
examined also in Bacon's Lives of the Apostles, pp. 258 — 279. 

5 4. The Occasion on which ihe Epistle was written. 
The first epistle was written in view of the trials which those to whom it was 
addressed were then enduring, and the persecutions which they had reason to 
anticipate, ch. i. 6, 7; iv. 12 — 19 ; v. 8 — 11. The main object of that epistle 
was to comfort them in their trials, and to encourage them to bear them with a 
Christian spirit, imitating the example of the Lord Jesus. This epistle appears 
to have been written, not so much in view of persecutions and bodily sufferings, 
real or prospective, as in view of the fact that there were teachers of error 
among them, the tendency of whose doctrine was to turn them away from the 
gospel. To those teachers of error, and to the dangers to which they were ex 
posed on that account, there is no allusion in the first epistle, and it would seem 
not to be improbable that Peter had been informed that there were such teachers 
among them after he had written and despatched that. Or, if he was not thus in- 
formed of it, it seems to have occurred to him that this was a point of grea* 
importance which had not been noticed in the former epistle, and that an effort 
should be made by apostolic influence and authority to arrest the progress of 
error, to counteract the influence of the false teachers, and to confirm the Chris- 
tians of Asia Minor in the belief of the truth. A large part of the epistle, 
therefore, is occupied in characterizing the teachers of error, in showing that 
they would certainly be destroyed, and in stating the true doctrine in opposition 
to what they held. It is evident that Peter supposed that the danger to which 
Christians in Asia Minor were exposed from these errors, was not less than 
that to which they were exposed from persecution, and that it was of as much 
importance to guard them from those errors as it was to sustain them in their 
trials. 

The characteristics of the teachers referred to in this epistle, and the doctrines 
which they taught, were the following : 

1. One of the prominent errors was a denial of the Lord that bought therjju 
ch. ii. 1. On the nature of this error, see Notes on that verse. 

2. They gave indulgence to carnal appetites, and were sensual, corrupt, beastly, 
lewd. vs. 10, 12, 13, 14, 19. Comp. Jude 4, 8, 16. It is remarkable that so 
many professed reformers have been men who have been sensual and lewd men, 
who have taken advantage of their character as professed religious teachers, and 
as reformers, to corrupt and betray others. Such reformers often begin with 
pure intentions, but a constant familiarity with a certain class of vices tends to 
corrupt the mind, and to awaken in the soul passions which would otherwise 
have slept ; and they fall into the same vices which they attempt to reform. It 
should be said, however, that many professed reformers are corrupt at heart, and 
only make use of their pretended zeal in the cause of reformation to give theru 
the opportunity to indulge their base propensities. 



ccxliv 



INTRODUCTION. 



3. They were disorderly in their views, and < radical 1 In their movement* 
The tendency of their doctrines was to unsettle the foundations of order and 
government; to take away all restraint from the indulgence of carnal propensi- 
ties, and to break up the very foundations of good order in society, ch. ii. 10 — 
12. They « walked after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness ;' they * despised 
government' or authority ; they were * presumptuous and self-willed ;' they 
• were not afraid to speak evil of dignities ;' they were like « natural brute 
beasts ;' they < spoke evil of the subjects which they did not understand/ It is 
by no means an uncommon thing for professed reformers to become anti-govern- 
ment men, or to suppose that all the restraints of law stand in their way, and 
that they must be removed in order to success. Theyjix the mind on one 
thing to be accomplished. That thing magnifies itself until it fills all the fiekl 
of vision. Every thing which seems to oppose their efforts, or to uphold the 
evil which they seek to remove, they regard as an evil itself ; and as the laws 
and the government of a country often seem to sustain the evil, they become 
opposed to the government itself, and denounce it as an evil. Instead of en- 
deavouring to enlighten the public mind, and to modify the laws by a course 
of patient effort, they array themselves against them, and seek to overturn 
them. For the same reason, also, they suppose that the church upholds the 
evil, and become the deadly foe of all church organizations. 

4. They were seductive and artful, and adopted a course of teaching that was 
fitted to beguile the weak, and especially to produce licentiousness of living, ch. 
ii. 14. They were characterized by « adulterous' desires; and they practised 
their arts particularly on the * unstable,' those who were easily led away by any 
new and plausible doctrine that went to unsettle the foundations of rigid mo- 
rality. 

5. They adopted a pompous mode of teaching, distinguished for sound rather 
than for sense, and proclaimed themselves to be the special friends of liberal 
views, and of a liberal Christianity, ch. ii. 17, 18, 19. They were like * wells 
without water ;' « clouds that were carried about with a tempest;' they spake 
« great swelling words of vanity,' and they promised < liberty' to those who would 
embrace their views, or freedom from the restraints of bigotry and of a narrow 
and gloomy religion, This appeal is usually made by the advocates of error. 

6. They had been professed Christians, and had formerly embraced the more 
strict views on morals and religion which were held by Christians in general, 
ch. ii. 20 — 22. From this, however, they had departed, and had fallen into 
practices quite as abominable as those of which they had been guilty before 
their pretended conversion. 

7. They denied the doctrines which the apostles had stated respecting the end 
of the world. The argument on which they based this denial was the fact that 
all things continued unchanged as they had been from the beginning, and that 
it might be inferred from that that the world would be stable, ch. iii. 3, 4. They 
saw no change in the laws of nature ; they saw no indications that the world was 
drawing to a close, and they inferred that laws so stable and settled as those 
were which existed in nature would continue to operate, and that the changes 
predicted by the apostles were impossible. 

A large part of the epistle is occupied in meeting these errors, and in so por- 
traying the characters of their advocates as to show what degree of reliance was 
to be placed on their preaching. For a particular view of the manner in which 
these errors are met, see the analysis to chs. ii. and iii. 

This epistle is characterized by the same earnest and tender manner as the 



INTRODUCTION. 



ccxlv 



first, and by a peculiarly " solemn grandeur of imagery and diction." The 
apostle in the last two chapters had to meet great and dangerous errors, and 
the style of rebuke was appropriate to the occasion. He felt that he himself 
was soon to die, and, in the prospect of death, his own mind was peculiarly 
impressed with the solemnity and importance of coming events. He be- 
lieved that the errors which were broached tended to sap the very foundations 
of the Christian faith and of good morals, and his whole soul is roused to meet 
and counteract them. The occasion required that he should state in a solemn 
manner what was the truth in regard to the second advent of the Lord Jesus ; 
what great changes were to occur ; what the Christian might look for hereafter ; 
and his soul kindles with the sublime theme, and he describes in glowing im- 
agery, and in impassioned language, the end of all things, and exhorts them to 
live as became those who were looking forward to so important events. The 
practical effect of the whole epistle is to make the mind intensely solemn, and 
to put it into a position of waiting for the coming of the Lord. On the sirru« 
ferity he* ween this epistle (ch. ii) and the Epistle of Jude, see Intro, to Jud©- 



THE SECOND 



EPISTLE GENERAL OE PETER. 



CHAPTER I. 

SIMON 1 Peter, a servant and 
an apostle of Jesus Christ, to 
them that have obtained like a 



CHAPTER I. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter comprises the following 
subjects : — 

I. The usual salutations, -vs. 1, 2. 

II. A statement that all the mercies 
which they enjoyed pertaining to life 
and godliness, had been conferred by 
the power of God, and that he had 
given them exceeding great and precious 
promises, vs. 3, 4. It was mainly with 
reference to these « promises' that the 
epistle was written, for they had been 
assailed by the advocates of error (ch. 
ii. iii.), and it was important that Chris- 
tians should see that they had the pro- 
mise of a future life. Comp. ch. iii. 
5-— 14. 

III. An exhortation to abound in 
Christian virtues ; to go on making 
constant attainments in knowledge, and 
temperance, and patience, and godli- 
ness, and brotherly kindness, and cha- 
rity, vs. 5 — 9. 

IV. An exhortation to endeavour to 
make their calling and election sure, 
that so an entrance might be minis- 
tered unto them abundantly into the 
kingdom of the Redeemer, vs. 10, 11. 

V. The apostle says that he will en- 
deavour to keep these things before 
their minds, vs. 12 — 15. He knew 
well that they were then established in 
the truth (ver. 12), but he evidently feJt 



precious faith with us through 
the righteousness of 2 God and 
our Saviour Jesus Christ : 

i or, Symeon. a Ep. 4, 5. 

2 our Ood and Saviour. 

that they were in danger of being 
shaken in the faith by the seductive in- 
fluence of error, and he says, therefore, 
(ver. 13) that it was proper, as long as 
he remained on earth, to endeavour to 
excite in their minds a lively remem- 
brance of the truths which they haa 
believed ; that the opportunity for his 
doing this must soon cease, as the pe- 
riod was approaching when he must be 
removed to eternity, in accordance with 
the prediction of the Saviour (ver. 14), 
but that he would endeavour to make 
so permanent a record of his views on 
these important subjects that they might 
always have them in remembrance, ver. 
15. 

VI. A solemn statement that the 
doctrines which had been taught them, 
and which they had embraced, were 
not cunningly devised fables, but were 
true. vs. 16 — 21. In support of this 
the apostle appeals to the following 
things : 

(a) The testimony to the fact that 
Jesus was the Son of God, which Peter 
had himself heard given on the mourn 
of transfiguration, vs. 17, 18. 

(b) Prophecy. These truths, on 
which he expected them to rely, had 
been the subject of distinct prediction, 
and they should be held, whatever were 
the plausible arguments of the false 
teachers, vs. 19, 20. 

The general object, therefore, of tbia 
(246) 



A. D. 66.] 



CHAPTER I. 



247 



2 Grace and peace be mul- 
tiplied unto you through the 
knowledge of God, and of Jesus 
our Lord, 

chapter is to affi/m the truth of the 
great facts of religion, on which their 
hopes were based, and thus to prepare 
the way to combat the errors by which 
these truths were assailed. The first 
assures them that the doctrines which 
they held were true, and then, in chs. 
ii. and iii., meets the errors by which 
they were assailed. 

1. Simon Peter. Marg., Symeon. 
The name is written either Simon or 
Simeon — Xl/juav or Either 
word properly means hearing, and per- 
haps, like other names, was at first sig- 
nificant. The first epistle (ch. i. 1) 
begins simply, « Peter, an apostle,' &c. 
The name Simon, however, was his 
proper name, Peter, or Cephas, having 
been added to it by the Saviour. John 
i. 42. Comp. Matt. xvi. 18. HA ser- 
vant and an apostle of Jesus Christ. 
In the first epistle the word apostle only 
is used, Paul, however, uses the w T ord 
servant as applicable to himself in 
Rom. i. 1, and to himself and Timothy 
in the commencement of the epistle to 
the Philippians. ch. i. 1. See Notes 
on Rom. i. 1. H To them that have 
obtained like precious faith with us. 
With us who are of Jewish origin. 
This epistle was evidently written to 
the same persons as the former (Intro., 
§ 3), and that was intended to embrace 
many who were of Gentile origin. 
Notes, 1 Pet. i. 1. The apostle ad- 
dresses them all now, whatever was 
their origin, as heirs of the common 
faith, and as in all respects brethren. 
H Through the righteousness of God. 
Through the method of justification 
which God has adopted. See this fully 
explained in the Notes on Rom. i. 17. 
1 God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 
Marg., our God and Saviour. The 
Greek will undoubtedly bear the con- 
struction given in the margin, and if 



3 According as his divine 
power hath given unto us all b 
things that pertain unto life and 

a Da. 4. 1,6,25. &Ps.84.11. lTi.4.8. 

this be the true rendering, it furnishes 
an argument for the divinity of the 
Lord Jesus Christ. Bp. Middleton, 
Slade, Valpy, Bloomfield, and others, 
contend that this is the true and proper 
rendering. It is doubted, however, by 
Wetstein, Grotius, and others. Eras- 
mus supposes that it may be taken in 
either sense. The construction, though 
certainly not a violation of the laws of 
the Greek language, is not so free from 
all doubt as to make it proper to use 
the passage as a proof-text in an argu- 
ment for the divinity of the Saviour. 
It is easier to prove the doctrine from 
other texts that are plain, than to 
show that this must be the meaning 
here. 

2. Grace and peace be multiplied 
unto you through the knowledge of 
God, and of Jesus our Lord. That 
is, grace and peace abound to us, or 
may be expected to be conferred on us 
abundantly, if we have a true know- 
ledge of God and of the Saviour. Such 
a knowledge constitutes true religion : 
for in that we find grace — the grace 
that pardons and sanctifies ; and peace 
— peace of conscience, reconciliation 
with God, and calmness in the trials 
of life. See Notes on John xvii. 3. 

3. According as his divine power 
hath given unto us. All the effects of 
the gospel on the human heart are in 
the Scriptures traced to the poiver of 
God. See Notes on Rom. i. 16. There 
are no moral means which have ever 
been used that have such power as the 
gospel ; none through which God has 
done so much in changing the character 
and affecting the destiny of man. H All 
things that pertain unto life and god. 
liness. The reference here in the word 
life is undoubtedly to the life of reli- 
gion ; the life of the soul imparted by 
the gospel. The word godliness is 



248 



II. PETER. 



[A.l>. 66 



godliness, through the know- 
ledge of him that hath called us 
1 to glory and virtue : a 

synonymous with piety. The phrase 
1 according as' seems to be con- 
nected with the sentence in ver. 5. 
4 Forasmuch as he has conferred on us 
these privileges and promises connected 
with life and godliness, we are bound, 
in order to obtain all that is implied in 
these things, to give all diligence to add 
to our faith, knowledge/ &c. IT Through 
the knowledge of him. By a proper 
acquaintance with him, or by the right 
kind of knowledge of him. Notes, 
John xvii, 3. That hath called us 
to glory and virtue. Marg., by. Gr., 
« through glory/ &c. Doddridge sup- 
poses that it means that he has done 
this 'by the strengthening virtue and 
energy of his spirit.' Rosenmiiller 
renders it, 4 by glorious benignity/ Dr. 
Robinson (Lex.) renders it, < through 
a glorious display of his efficiency.' 
The objection which any one feels to 
this rendering arises solely from the 
word virtue j from the fact that we are 
not accustomed to apply that word to 
God. But the original word (apffsj) 
is not as limited in its signification as 
the English word is, but is rather a 
word which denotes a good quality or 
excellence of any kind. In the ancient 
classics it is used to denote manliness, 
vigour, courage, valour, fortitude ; and 
the word would rather denote energy 
or power of some kind, than what we 
commonly understand by virtue, and 
would be, therefore, properly applied 
to the energy or efficiency which God 
has displayed in the work of our sal- 
vation. Indeed, when applied to moral 
excellence at all, as it is in ver. 5 of this 
chapter, and often elsewhere, it is per- 
haps with a reference to the energy, bold- 
ness, vigour, or courage which is evinced 
in overcoming our evil propensities, 
and resisting allurements and tempta- 
tions. According to this interpretation, 
the passage teaches that it is by a glo- 



4 Whereby are given unto ua 
exceeding great and precious 

i or, by. a 2 Ti. 1. 9. 

rious divine efficiency that we are calieo. 
into he kingdom of God. 

4. Whereby — At * Through 

which' — in the plural number, referring 
either to the glory and virtue in the pre- 
vious verse, and meaning that it was by 
that glorious divine efficiency that these 
promises were given ; or, to all the 
things mentioned in the previous verse, 
meaning that it was through those ar- 
rangements, and in order to their com- 
pletion, that these great and glorious 
promises were made. The promises 
given are in connection with the plan 
of securing « life and godliness,' and are 
a part of the gracious arrangements for 
that object. II Exceeding great and 
precious promises. A promise is a i 
assurance on the pa; of nnother o 
some good for which we are dependent 
on him. It implies (I.) That the thing 
is in his power; (*2.) That he may be- 
stow it or not as ho pleases ; (3.) That 
we cannot infer Torn any process of 
reasoning that it is his purpose to be- 
stow it on us; and (4.) That it is a 
favour which we can obtain only from 
him, and not by any independent effort 
of our own. The promises here refer- 
red to are those which pertain to salva- 
tion. Peter had in his eye probably 
all that then had been revealed which 
contemplated the salvation of the peo- 
ple of God. They are called « exceed- 
ing great and precious,' because of their 
value in supporting and comforting the 
soul, and of the honour and felicity 
which they unfold to us. The pro- 
mises referred to are doubtless those 
which are made in connection with the 
plan of salvation revealed in the gospel, 
for there are no other promises made 
to man. They refer to the pardon of 
sin ; strength, comfort and support in 
trial ; a glorious resurrection ; and a 
happy immortality. If we look at the 
greatness and glory t>f the objects, we 



A. D. 66.] CHAPTER I 

promises ; a that by these ye might 

a 2 Co. 7. 1. 



shall see that the promises are in fact 
exceedingly precious ; or if we look at 
their influence in supporting and ele- 
vating the soul, we shall have as dis- 
tinct a view of their value. The pro- 
mise goes beyond our reasoning pow- 
ers ; enters a field which we could not 
otherwise penetrate — the distant future ; 
and relates to what w r e could not other- 
wise obtain. All that we need in trial, 
is the simple promise of God that he 
will sustain us; ail that we need in 
the hour of death, is the assurance of 
our God that we shall be happy for 
ever. What would this world be 
without a promise? How impossi- 
ble to penetrate the future ! How 
dark thatT which is to come would be ! 
How bereft we should be of consola- 
tion ! The past has gone, and its de- 
parted joys and hopes can never be re- 
called to cheer us again; the present 
may be an hour of pain, and sadness, 
and disappointment, and gloom, with 
perhaps not a ray of comfort ; the fu- 
ture only opens fields of happiness to 
our vision, and every thing there de- 
pends on the will of God, and all that 
we can know of it is from his promises. 
Cut off from these, we have no way 
either of obtaining the blessings which 
we desire, or of ascertaining that they 
can be ours. For the promises of God, 
therefore, we should be in the highest 
degree grateful, and in the trials of life 
we should cling to them with unwa- 
vering confidence as the only things 
which can be an anchor to the soul, 
"if That by these* Gr., « through these.' 
That is, these constitute the basis of 
your hopes of becoming partakers of 
the divine nature. Comp. Notes on 2 
Cor. vii. 1. f Partakers of the divine 
nature. This is a very important, 
and a difficult phrase. An expres- 
sion somewhat similar occurs in Heb. 
xii. 10. "That we might be par- 
takers of his holiness." See Notes on 



249 

be partakers 1 of the -divine na- 
il He. 12. 10. 



that verse. In regard to the language 
here used, it may be observed, (1.) That 
it is directly contrary to all the notions 
of Pantheism — or the belief that all 
things are now God, or a part of God — 
for it is said that the object of the pro- 
mise is, that we 4 may become partakers 
of the divine nature ;' not that we are 
now. (2.) It cannot be taken in so 
literal a sense as to mean that we can 
ever partake of the divine essence, or 
that we shall be absorbed into the di- 
vine nature so as to lose our individu- 
ality. This idea is held by the Bud- 
hists, and the perfection of being is 
supposed by them to consist in such 
absorption, or in losing their own in- 
dividuality, and their ideas of happiness 
are graduated by the approximation 
which may be made to that state. But 
this cannot be the meaning here, be- 
cause (a) It is in the nature of the 
case impossible. There must be for 
ever an essential difference between a 
created and aa uncreated mind. (6) 
This would argue that the divine Mind 
is not perfect. If this absorption was 
necessary to the completeness of the 
character and happiness of the divine 
being, then he was imperfect before* 
if before perfect, he would not be after 
the absorption of an infinite number 
of finite and imperfect minds, (c) In 
all the representations of heaven in the 
Bible, the idea of individuality is one 
that is prominent. Individuals are 
represented everywhere as worshippers 
there, and there is no intimation that 
the separate existence of the redeemed 
is to be absorbed and lost in the essence 
of the Deity. Whatever is to be the 
condition of man hereafter, he is to 
have a separate and individual exist- 
ence, and the number of intelligent be- 
ings is never to be diminished either by 
annihilation, or by their being united to 
any other spirit so that they shall be- 
come one* The reference then, in this 



250 



II. PETER. 



[A. D. 6tf. 



ture, having escaped ° the cor- 

a c. 2. 18, 20. 

place, must be to the moral nature of 
God, and the meaning is, that they 
who are renewed become participants 
of the same moral nature; that is, of 
the same views, feelings, thoughts, pur- 
poses, principles of action. Their na- 
ture as they are born, is sinful, and 
prone to evil (Eph. ii. 3) ; their nature 
as they are born again, becomes like 
that of God. They are made like God ; 
and this resemblance will increase more 
and more for ever, until in a much 
higher sense than can be true in this 
world, they may be said to have be- 
come < partakers of the divine nature.' 
Let us remark then, (a) That man 
only, of all the dwellers on the earth, 
is capable of rising to this condition. 
The nature of all the other orders of 
creatures here below is incapable of 
any such transformation that it can be 
said that they become « partakers of the 
divine nature." QS) It is impossible 
now to estimate the degree of approxi- 
mation to which man may yet rise to- 
wards God, or the exalted sense in 
which the term may yet be applicable 
to him; but the prospect before the 
believer in this respect is most glorious. 
Two or three circumstances may be 
referred to here as mere hints of what 
we may yet be: (1.) Let any one re- 
flect on the amazing advances made 
by himself since the period of infancy. 
But a few, a very few years ago, he 
knew nothing. He was in his cradle, 
a poor, helpless infant. He knew not 
the use of eyes, or ears, or hands, or 
feet. He knew not the name or use 
of any thing, not even the name of 
father or mother. He could neither 
walk, nor talk, nor creep. He knew 
not even that a candle would burn him 
if he put his finger there. He knew 
not how to grasp or hold a rattle, or 
what was its sound, or whence that 
sound, or any other sound, came. Let 
faim think what he is at twenty, or 



ruption that is in the world 
through lust. 

forty, in comparison with this ; and 
then, if his improvement in every simi- 
lar number of years hereafter should 
be equal to this, who can tell the height 
to which he will rise 1 (2.) We are 
here limited in our powers of learning 
about God or his works. We become 
acquainted with him through his works 
— by means of the senses. But by the 
appointment of this method of becom- 
ing acquainted with the external world, 
the design seems to have been to ac- 
complish a double work quite contra- 
dictory — one to help us, and the other 
to hinder us. One is, to give us the 
means of communicating with the ex- 
ternal world — by the sight, the hearing, 
the smell, the touch, the taste. The 
other is to shut us out from the exter- 
nal world except by these. The body 
is a casement 9 an enclosure, a prison 
in which the soul is incarcerated, from 
which we can look out on the universe 
only through these organs. But sup- 
pose, as may be the case in a future 
state, there shall be no such enclosure, 
and that the whole soul may look di- 
rectly on the works of God — on spirit- 
ual existences, on God himself — who 
then can calculate the height to which 
man may attain in becoming a ' par- 
taker of the divine nature]' (3.) We 
shall have an eternity before us to grow 
in knowledge, and in holiness, and in 
conformity to God. Here, we attempt 
to climb the hill of knowledge, and 
having gone a few steps—while the top 
is still lost in the clouds — we lie down 
and die. We look at a few things ; 
become acquainted with a few elemen 
tary principles ; make a little progress 
in virtue, and then all our studies and 
efforts are suspended, and " we fiy 
away." In the future world we shall 
have an eternity before us to nnke 
progress in knowledge, and virtue, and 
holiness, uninterrupted ; and who can 
tell in what exalted sense it may ye 



A. D. 66.] CHAP 
5 And beside this, giving all 

a Ph. 4. 8. b Ph. 1. 9. 

be true that we shall be < partakers of 
the divine nature/ or what attainments 
we may yet makel IT Having escaped 
the corruption that is in the world 
through lust. The world is full of 
corruption. It is the design of the 
Christian plan of redemption to deliver 
us from that, and to make us holy ; 
and the means by which we are to be 
made like God, is by rescuing us from 
its dominion. 

5. And beside this wvtb tfoWo). 
Something here is necessary to be un- 
derstood in order to complete the sense. 
The reference is to ver. 3 ; and the con- 
nection is, < since (ver. 3) God has given 
us these exalted privileges and hopes, 
in respect to this (xa-ta or £ca being 
understood), or as a consequence fairly 
flowing from this, we ought to give 
all diligence that we may make good 
use of these advantages, and secure as 
high attainments %3 we possibly can. 
We should add one virtue to another, 
that we may reach the highest possible 
elevation in holiness.' % Giving all 
diligence, Gr., ' Bringing in all zeal 
or effort/ The meaning is, that we 
ought to make this a distinct and defi- 
nite object, and to apply ourselves to 
it as a thing to be accomplished. *&Add 
to your faith virtue. It is not meant 
in this verse and the following that we 
are to endeavour particularly to add 
these things one to another in the order 
in which they are specified, or that we 
are to seek first to have faith, and then 
to add to that virtue, and then to add 
knowledge to virtue rather than to faith, 
&c. The order in which this is to be 
done, the relation which one of these 
things may have to another, is not the 
point aimed at, nor are we to suppose 
that any other order of the words would 
not have answered the purpose of the 
apostle as well, or that any one of the 
virtues specified would not sustain as 
direct a relation to any other, as the 



per i. m 

diligence, add to your faith vir- 
tue ; a and to virtue knowledge ; * 

one which he has specified. The de- 
sign of the apostle is to say, in an em- 
phatic manner, that we are to strive to 
possess and exhibit all these virtues; 
in other words, we are not to content 
ourselves with a single grace, but are 
to cultivate all the virtues, and to en- 
deavour to make our piety complete in 
all the relations which we sustain. The 
essential idea in the passage before us 
seems to be, that in our religion we are 
not to be satisfied with one virtue, or 
one class of virtues, but that there is to 
be (1.) a diligent cultivation of our 
virtues, since the graces of religion are 
as susceptible of cultivation as any 
other virtues ; (2.) that there is to be 
progress made from one virtue to an- 
other, seeking to reach the highest pos- 
sible point in our religion ; and (3.) 
that there is to he an accu:mulatio:s" 
of virtues and graces ; or we are not 
to be satisfied with one class, or with 
the attainments which we can make in 
one class. We are to endeavour to 
add on one after another until we have 
become possessed of all. Faith, per- 
haps, is mentioned first, because that is 
the foundation of all Christian virtues, 
and the other virtues are required to 
be added to that, because, from the 
place which faith occupies in the plan 
of justification, many might be in dan- 
ger of supposing that if they had that 
they had all that was necessary. 
Comp. James ii. 14, seq. In the Greek 
word rendered « ado" (irtc^op^yjjcra'z's)* 
then, is an allusion to a chorus-leader 
among the Greeks, and the sense is 
well expressed by Doddridge, " be 
careful to accompany that belief with 
all the lovely train of attendant graces." 
Or, in other words, " let faith lead 
on as at the head of the choir or the 
graces, and let all the others follow 
in their order.' The word here ren- 
dered virtue, is the same which is 
used in ver. 3, and there is included 



252 



II PETER. 



[A.D. 66. 



6 And to knowledge temper- 
ance; and to temperance pa- 
tience; b and to patience godli- 
ness ; c 

7 And to godliness brotherly 

a 1 Co. 9. 25. b Ja. 1. 4. c 1 Ti. 4. 7- 
d Jno. 13. 34, 35. el Co. 13. 1-3. i idle. 
/Jno. 15. 2-6. 

in it, probably, the same general idea 
which was noticed there. All the 
things which the apostle specifies, un- 
less knowledge be an exception, are 
virtues in the sense in which that word 
is commonly used, and it can hardly 
be supposed that the apostle here meant 
to use a general term which would in- 
clude all of the others. The probability 
is, therefore, that by the word here he 
has reference to the common meaning 
of the Greek word, as referring to man- 
liness, courage, vigour, energy; and the 
sense is, that he wished them to evince 
whatever firmness or courage might be 
necessary in maintaining the principles 
of their religion, and in enduring the 
trials to which their faith might be sub- 
jected. True virtue is not a tame and 
passive thing. It requires great energy 
and boldness, for its very essence is 
firmness, manliness, and independence. 
IT And to virtue knowledge. The know- 
ledge of God and of the way of salva- 
tion through the Redeemer. ver 3. 
Comp. ch. iii. 8. It is the duty of 
every Christian to make the highest 
possible attainments in knowledge. 

6. And to knowledge temperance. 
On the meaning of the word temper- 
ance, see Notes on Acts xxiv. 25, and 
1 Cor. ix. 25. The word here refers 
to the mastery over all our evil inclina- 
tions and appetites. We are to allow 
none of them to obtain control over 
us. See Notes on 1 Cor. vS. 12. This 
would include, of course, abstinence 
from intoxicating drinks ; but it would 
also embrace all evil passions and pro- 
pensities. Every thing is to be con- 
fined within proper limits, and to no 
propensity of our nature are we to give 



kindness ; d and to brotherly kind 
ness charity. c 

8 For if these things be in 
you, and abound, they make you 
that ye shall neither be 1 barren 
nor unfruitful f in the knowledge 
of our Lord Jesus Christ. 



indulgence beyond the limits which 
the law of God allows. % And to tern* 
perance patience. Notes on James i. 4. 
II And to patience godliness. True 
piety. Notes on ver. 3. Comp. 1 Tim. 
ii. 2; iii. 16; iv. 7, 8; vi. 3, 5, 6, 11. 

7. And to godliness brotherly kind- 
ness. Love to Christians as such. See 
Notes on John xiii. 34. Heb. xiii. 1. 
IT And to brotherly kindness charity \ 
Love to all mankind. There is to be 
a peculiar affection for Christians as of 
the same family ; there is to be a true 
and warm love, however, for all the 
race. See Notes on 1 Cor. xiii. 

8. For if these things be in you, and 
abound. If they are in you in rich 
abundance ; if you are eminent for 
these things. IT They make you that 
ye shall neither be barren nor unfruit- 
ful. They will show that you are not 
barren or unfruitful. The word ren- 
dered barren, is in the margin idle. 
The word idle more accurately expresses 
the sense of the original. The mean- 
ing is, that if they evinced these things, 
it would show (1.) that they were dili- 
gent in cultivating the Christian graces ; 
smd (2.) that it was not a vain thing 
to attempt to grow in knowledge and 
virtue. Their efforts would be followed 
by such happy results as to be an en- 
couragement to exertion. In nothing 
is there, in fact, more encouragement 
than in ihe attempt to become eminent 
in piety. Oft no other efforts does God 
smile more propitiously than on the 
attempt to secure the salvation of the 
soul and to do g.*o4 A small part of 
the £xertk>ns which v^n put forth to 
become rich, or lefQav or celebrated 
for ornx^rf, or heroism ^uld secure 



A. D. 66.] 



CHAPTER I. 



253 



9 But he that lacketh these 
things is blind, a and cannot see 

a 1 Jno. 2. 9-11. 

the salvation of the soul. In the for- 
mer, also, men often fail ; in the latter, 
never. 

9. But he that lacketh these things 
is blind. He has no clear views of the 
nature and the requirements of religion. 

And cannot see afar off. The 
word used here, which does not occur 
elsewhere in the New Testament 
(ftvwrta^co), means to shut the eyes; 
i. e. to contract the eyelids, to blink, to 
twinkle, as one who cannot see clearly, 
and hence to be near-sighted. The 
meaning here is, that he is like one 
who has an indistinct vision ; one who 
can see only the objects that are near 
him, but who has no correct apprehen- 
sion of objects that are more remote. 
He sees but a little way into the true 
nature and design of the gospel. He 
does not take those large and clear 
views which would enable him to com- 
prehend the whole system at a glance. 
^ And hath forgotten that he was 
purged from his old sins. He does 
not remember the obligation which 
grows out of the fact that a system has 
been devised to purify the heart, and 
that he has been so far brought under 
the power of that system as to have 
his sins forgiven. If he had any just 
view of that, he would see that he was 
under obligation to make as high at- 
tainments as possible, and to cultivate to 
the utmost extent the Christian graces. 

10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, 
give diligence, ver. 5. 'In view of 
these things, give the greater diligence 
to secure your salvation/ The consi- 
derations on which Peter based this 
appeal seem to have been the fact that 
such promises are made to us, and such 
hopes held out before us ; the degree 
of uncertainty thrown over the whole 
matter of our personal salvation by low 
attainments in the divine life, and the 
dreadful condemnation which will en- 

22 



afar off, and hath forgotten that 
he was purged from his old sins. 
10 Wherefore the rather, 

sue if in the end it shall be found that 
we are destitute of all real piety. The 
general thought is, that religion is of 
sufficient importance to claim our high- 
est diligence, and to arouse us to the 
most earnest efforts to obtain the assur- 
ance of salvation, IT To make your 
calling and election sure. On the 
meaning of the word calling, see Notes 
on Eph. iv. 1. On the meaning of the 
word election, see Notes on Rom. ix. 11. 
1 Thess. i. 4. Comp. Eph. i. 5. The 
word rendered election here (i^oyjj), 
occurs only in this place and in Acts 
ix. 15; Rom. ix. 11 ; xi. 5, 7, 28 : 1 
Thess. i. 4, though corresponding word.* 
from the same root denoting the elect, 
to elect, to choose, frequently occur. 
The word here used means election, 
referring to the act of God, by which 
those who are saved are chosen to eter- 
nal life. As the word calling must 
refer to the act of God; so the word 
election must; for it is God who both 
calls and chooses those who shall be 
saved. The word in the Scriptures 
usually refers to the actual choosing 
of those who shall be saved ; that is, 
referring to the time when they, in fact, 
become the children of God, rather than 
to the purpose of God that it shall be 
done ; but still there must have been an 
eternal purpose, for God makes no 
choice which he did not always intend 
to make. The word sure, means firm, 
steadfast, secure (jSf^cwW). Here the 
reference must be to themselves ,• that 
is, they were so to act as to make if 
certain to themselves that they had 
been chosen, and were truly called into 
the kingdom of God. It cannot refer 
to God, for no act of theirs could make 
it more certain on his part if they had 
been actually chosen to eternal life. 
Still, God everywhere treats men as 
moral agents, and what may be abso- 
lutely certain in hia mind from the 



254 II. PETER. [A. D. 6d 

brethren, give diligence" to make for b if ye do these things, ye 
your calling and election sure : shall never fall : 

a c. 3. 17. b 1 Jno. 3. 19. Re. 22. 14. 



mere purpose that it shall be so, is to 
be made certain to us only by evidence, 
and in the free exercise of our own 
powers, The meaning here is, that 
they w£re to obtain such evidences of 
personal piety as to put the question 
whether they were called and chosen , 
so far as their own minds were con- 
cerned, to rest ; or so as to have un- 
doubted evidence on this point. The 
Syriac, the Vulgate, and some Greek 
manuscripts, insert here the expression 
<by your good works;' that is, they 
were to make their calling sure by their 
good works, or by holy living. This 
clause, as Calvin remarks, is not author- 
ized by the best authority, but it does 
not materially affect the sense. It was 
undoubtedly by their « good works' in 
the sense of holy living, or of lives 
consecrated to the service of God, that 
they were to obtain the evidence that 
they were true Christians ; that is, that 
they had been really called into the 
kingdom of God, for there is nothing 
else on which we can depend for such 
evidence. God has given no assurance 
to us by name that he intends to save 
us. We can rely on no voice, or 
vision, or new revelation, to prove that 
it is so. No internal feeling of itself, 
no raptures, no animal excitement, no 
confident persuasion in our own minds 
that we are elected, can be proof in the 
case, and the only certain evidence on 
which we can rely is that which is 
found in a life of sincere piety. In 
view of the important statement of 
Peter in this verse, then, we may re- 
mark (1.) that he believed in the doc- 
trine of election, for he uses language 
which obviously implies this, or such 
as they are accustomed to use who be- 
lieve the doctrine. (2.) The fact that 
God has chosen those who shall be 
saved, does not make our own efforts 
nnecessary to make that salvation sure 



to us. It can be made sure to our own 
minds only by our own exertions ; by 
obtaining evidence that we are in fact 
the children of God. There can be no 
evidence that salvation will be ours un- 
less there is a holy life ; that is, unless 
there is true religion. Whatever may 
be the secret purpose of God in regard 
to us, the only evidence that we have 
that we shall be saved is to be found 
in the fact that we are sincere Chris- 
tians, and are honestly endeavouring to 
do his will. (3.) It is possible to make 
our caliing and election sure ; that is, 
to have such evidence on the subject 
that the mind shall be calm, and that 
there will be no danger of deception. 
If we can determine the point that we 
are in fact true Christians, that settles 
the matter — for then the unfailing pro- 
mise of God meets us that we shall be 
saved. In making our salvation sure 
to our own minds, if we are in fact 
true Christians, we have not to go into 
an argument to prove that we have 
sufficient strength to resist temptation, 
or that we shall be able in any way to 
keep ourselves. All that matter is set- 
tled by the promise of God, that if we 
are Christians we shall be kept by him 
to salvation. The only question that 
is to be settled is, whether we are in 
fact true Christians, and all beyond 
that may be regarded as determined 
immutably. But assuredly it is possi- 
ble for a man to determine the question 
whether he is or is not a true Chris- 
tian. (4.) If it can be done, it should 
be. Nothing is more important for us 
to do than this; and to this great in- 
quiry we should apply our minds with 
unfaltering diligence, until by the grace 
of God we can say that there are no 
lingering doubts in regard to our final 
salvation. IT For if ye do these things 
The things referred to in the previous 
verses. If you use all diligence to 



Ac D. 66.] 



CHAPTER I. 



255 



11 For so an entrance shall 
be ministered unto you abund- 
antly into the everlasting king- 
dom of our Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ. 



make as high attainments as possible 
m piety, and if you practice the vir- 
tues demanded by religion, vs. 5 — 7. 
IT Ye shall never fall. You shall never 
fall into perdition. That is, you shall 
certainly be saved. 

11. For so an entrance. In this 
manner you shall be admitted into the 
kingdom of God. 1T Shall be minis- 
tered unto you. The same Greek word 
is here used which occurs in ver. 5, 
and which is there rendered add. See 
Notes on that verse. There was not 
improbably in the mind of the apostle 
a recollection of that word, and the 
sense may be that " if they would lead 
on the virtues and graces referred to in 
their beautiful order, those graces would 
attend them in a radiant train to the 
mansions of immortal glory and blessed- 
ness.' , See Doddridge in he. \ Abun- 
dantly. Gr., richly. That is, the most 
ample entrance would be furnished; 
there would be no doubt about their 
admission there. The gates of glory 
would be thrown wide open, and they, 
adorned with all the bright train of 
graces, would be admitted there. *fiInto 
the everlasting kingdom, &c. Heaven. 
It is here called everlasting, not because 
the Lord Jesus shall preside over it as 
the Mediator (comp. Notes on 1 Cor. 
xv. 24), but because in the form which 
shall be established when < he shall 
have given it up to the Father/ it will 
endure for ever. The empire of God 
which the Redeemer shall set up over 
the souls of his people shall endure to 
all eternity. The object of the plan of 
redemption was to secure their alle- 
giance to God, and that will never ter- 
minate. 

12. Wherefore I will not be negli- 
gent. That is, in view of the import- 



12 Wherefore I will not be 
negligent to put you aKvays in 
remembrance of these things, 
though ye know them, and be 
established in the present truth. 



ance of these things. IT To put you 
always in remembrance. To give you 
the means of having them always in 
remembrance ; to wit, by his writings. 
H Though ye know them. It was of 
importance for Peter, as it is for minis- 
ters of the gospel now, to bring known 
truths to remembrance. Men are liable 
to forget them, and they do not exert 
the influence over them which they 
ought. It is the office of the ministry 
not only to impart to a people truths 
which they did not know before, but a 
large part of their work is to bring to 
recollection well-known truths, and to 
seek that they may exert a proper in- 
fluence on the life. Amidst the cares, 
the business, the amusements, and the 
temptations of the world, even true 
Christians are prone to forget them ; 
and the ministers of the gospel render 
them an essential service, even if they 
should do nothing more than remind 
them of truths which are well under- 
stood, and which they have known be- 
fore. A pastor, in order to be useful, 
need not always aim at originality, or 
deem it necessary always to present 
truths which have never been heard of 
before. He renders an essential ser- 
vice to mankind who reminds them 
of what they know but are prone to 
forget, and who endeavours to impress 
plain and familiar truths on the heart 
and conscience, for these truths are 
most important for man. IT And be 
established in the present truth. 1 hat 
is, the truth which is with you, or 
which you have received. Rob. Lex, 
on the word rtdpsv/M,. The apostle did 
not doubt that they were now con- 
firmed in the truth as far as it had been 
made known to them, but he felt tha* 
amidst their trials and especially as 



256 



II. PETER. 



[A. D. 66. 



13 Yea, I think it meet, as 
long as I am in this tabernacle, 
to stir ° you up, by putting you 
in remembrance ; 

a c. 3. 1. 

they were liable to be drawn away by 
false teachers, there was need of re- 
minding them of the grounds on which 
the truths which they had embraced 
rested, and of adding his own testimony 
io confirm their divine origin. Though 
we may be very firm in our belief of 
the truth, yet there is a propriety that 
the grounds of our faith should be 
stated to us frequently, that they may 
be always in our remembrance. The 
mere fact that at present we are firm in 
the belief of the truth, is no certain 
evidence that we shall always continue 
to be ; nor because we are thus firm 
should we deem it improper for our re- 
ligious teachers to state the grounds on 
which our faith rests, or to guard us 
against the arts of those who would 
* attempt to subvert our faith. 

13. Yea, I think it meet. I think 
it becomes me as an apostle. It is my 
appropriate duty ; a duty which is felt 
the more as the close of life draws near. 
IT As long as I am in this tabernacle. 
As long as I live ; as long as I am in 
the body. The body is called a taber- 
nacle, or tent, as that in which the soul 
resides for a little time. See Notes on 
2 Cor. v. 1. IT To stir yon up by put- 
ting you in remembrance. To excite 
or arouse you to a diligent performance 
of your duties; to keep up in your 
minds a lively sense of divine things. 
Religion becomes more important to a 
man's mind always as he draws near 
the close of life, and feels that he is 
soon to enter the eternal world. 

14. Knowing that shortly I must 
put off this my tabernacle. That I 
must die. This he knew, probably, 
because he was growing old, and was 
reaching the outer period of human 
life. It does not appear that he had 
any express revelation on the point. 



14 Knowing that shortly 1 
must put off this my tabernacle, 
even as our Lord Jesus Christ 
hath shewed me. b 

b Jno. 21. 18, 19. 

1 Even as our Lord Jesus Christ hath 
shewed me. See Notes on John xxi. 
18, 19. This does not mean that he 
had any new revelation on the subject, 
showing him that he was soon to die, 
as many of the ancients supposed ; but 
the idea is, that the time drew near 
when he was to die in the manner in 
which the Saviour had told him that 
he would. He had said (John xxi. 18) 
that this would occur when he should 
be < old/ and as he was now becoming 
old, he felt that the predicted event was 
drawing near. Many years had now 
elapsed since this remarkable prophecy 
was uttered. It would seem that Peter 
had never doubted the truth of it, and 
during all that time he had had before 
him the distinct assurance that he must 
die by violence ; by having 1 his hands 
stretched forth ;' and by being con- 
veyed by force to some place of death 
to which he would not of himself go 
(John xxi. 18); but, though the pros- 
pect of such a death must have been 
painful, he never turned away from it; 
never sought to abandon his master's 
cause ; and never doubted that it would 
be so. This is one of the few instances 
that have occurred in the world, where 
a man knew distinctly, long beforehand, 
what would be the manner of his own 
death, and where he could have it con- 
stantly in his eye. We cannot foresee 
this in regard to ourselves, but we may 
learn to feel that death is not far dis- 
tant, and may accustom ourselves to 
think upon it in whatever manner it 
may come upon us, as Peter did, and 
endeavour to prepare for it. Peter 
would naturally seek to prepare him- 
self for death in the particular form in 
which he knew it would occur to him . 
we should prepare for it in whatever 
way it may occur to us. The subject 



\. D. 66.] 



CHAPTER I. 



25"? 



15 Moreover, I will endea- 
vour that ye may be able after 

of crucifixion would be one of peculiar 
interest to him ; to us death itself 
should be the subject of peculiar in- 
terest ; the manner is to be left to God. 
Whatever may be the signs of its ap- 
proach, whether sickness or gray hairs, 
we should meditate much upon an 
event so solemn to us, and as these in- 
dications thicken we should be more 
diligent, as Peter was, in doing the 
work that God has given us to do. Our 
days, like the fabled Sybil's leaves, be- 
come more valuable as they are dimin- 
ished in number; and as the * inevita- 
ble hour' draws nearer to us, we should 
labour more diligently in our master's 
cause, gird our loins more closely, and 
trim our lamps. Peter thought of the 
cross, for it was such a death that he 
was led to anticipate. Let us think of 
the bed of languishing on which we 
may die, or of the blow that may strike 
us suddenly down in the midst of our 
way, calling us without a moment's 
warning into the presence of our Judge. 

15. Moreover, 1 will endeavour. I 
will leave such a permanent record of 
my views on these subjects that you 
may not forget them. He meant not 
only to declare his sentiments orally, 
but to record them that they might be 
perused when he was dead. He had 
such a firm conviction of the truth and 
value of the sentiments which he held, 
that he would use all the means in his 
power that the church and the world 
should not forget them. Tf After my 
decease. My exode (I'foSoy) ; my jour- 
ney out ; my departure ; my exit from 
life. This is not the usual word to de- 
note death, but is rather a word denot- 
ing that he was going on a journey 
out of this world. He did not expect 
to, cease to be, but he expected to go 
on his travels to a distant abode. This 
idea runs through all this beautiful de- 
scription of the feelings of Peter as he 
contemplated death. Hence he speaks 



my decease to have these things 
always in remembrance. 

of taking down the < tabernacle' or tent, 
the temporary abode of the soul, that 
his spirit might be removed to another 
place (ver. 13); and hence he speaks 
of an exode from the present life — a 
journey to another world. This is the 
true notion of death ; and if so, two 
things follow from it: (1.) we should 
make preparation for it, as we do for a 
journey, and the more in proportion to 
the distance that we are to travel, and 
the time that we are to be absent ; and 
(2.) when the preparation is made, we 
should not be unwilling to enter on the 
journey, as we are not now when we 
are prepared to leave our homes to visit 
some remote part of our own country, 
or a distant land. 5 To have these 
things always in remembrance. By 
his writings. We may learn from 
this (1.) that when a Christian grows 
old, and draws near to death, his sense 
of the value of divine truth by no 
means diminishes. As he approaches 
the eternal world ; as from its borders 
he surveys the past and looks on to 
what is to come ; as he remembers 
what benefit the truths of religion 
have conferred on him in life, and sees 
what a miserable being he would now 
be if he had no such hope as the gospel 
inspires; as he looks on the whole in- 
fluence of those truths on his family 
and friends, on his country and the 
world, their value rises before him with 
a magnitude which he never saw be- 
fore, and he desires most earnestly that 
they should be seen and embraced by 
all. A man on the borders of eternity 
is likely to have a very deep sense of 
the value of the Christian religion ; 
and is he not then in favourable circum- 
stances to estimate this matter aright ? 
Let any one place himself in imagina- 
tion in the situation of one who is on 
the borders of the eternal world, as all 
in fact soon will be, and can he have 
any doubt about the value of religious 



258 



II. PETER. 



[A. D. 66. 



16 For we have not followed 

a 2 Co. 4. 2. 

truth 1 (2.) We may learn from what 
Peter says here that it is the duty of 
those who are drawing near to the 
eternal world, and who are the friends 
of religion, to do all they can that the 
truths of Christianity « may be always 
had in remembrance.' Every man's 
experience of the value of religion, and 
the results of his examination and ob- 
servation, should be regarded as the 
property of the world, and should not 
be lost. As he is about to die he 
should seek, by ail the means in his 
power, that those truths should be per- 
petuated and propagated. This duty 
may be discharged by some in counsels 
offered to the young, as they are about 
to enter on life, giving them the results 
of their own experience, observation, 
and reflections on the subject of reli- 
gion ; by some, by an example so con- 
sistent that it cannot be soon forgotten — 
a legacy to friends and to the world of 
much more value than accumulated 
silver and gold ; by some, by solemn 
warnings or exhortations on the bed 
of death ; in other cases, by a recorded 
experience of the conviction and value 
of religion, and a written defence of its 
truth, and illustration of its nature — for 
every man who can write a good book 
owes it to the church and the world to 
do it; by others, in leaving the means 
of publishing and spreading good books 
in the world. He does a good service 
to his own age, and to future ages, who 
records the results of his observations 
and his reflections in favour of the 
truth in a book that shall be readable ; 
and though the book itself may be ul- 
timately forgotten, it may have saved 
some persons from ruin, and may have 
accomplished its part in keeping up the 
knowledge of the truth in his own 
generation. Peter, as a minister of the 
gospel, felt himself bound to do this, 
and no men have so good an opportu- 
nity of doing this now as ministers of 



cunningly devised fables/ when 
we made known unto you the 

the gospel. No men have more ready 
access to the press. No men have so 
much certainty that they will have the 
public attention, if they will write any 
thing worth reading. No men, com- 
monly, in a community are better edu- 
cated, or are more accustomed to write. 
No men, by their profession, seem to 
be so much called to address their fel- 
low-men in any way in favour of the 
truth; and it is matter of great marvel 
that men who have such opportunities, 
and who seem especially called to the 
work, do not do more of this kind of 
service in the cause of religion. Them- 
selves soon to die, how can they help 
desiring that they may leave something 
that shall bear an honourable, though 
humble, testimony to truths which they 
so much prize, and which they are ap- 
pointed to defend ] A tract may live 
long after the author is in the grave ; 
and who can calculate the results 
which have followed the efforts of Bax- 
ter and Edwards to keep up in the 
world the remembrance of the truths 
which they deemed of so much value 1 
This little epistle of Peter has shed 
light on the path of men now for 
eighteen hundred years, and will con 
tinue to do it until the second coming 
of the Saviour. 

16. For we Jiatie not followed cun 
ningly devised fables. That is, fic- 
tions or stories invented by artful men, 
and resting on no solid foundation. 
The doctrines which they held about 
the coming of the Saviour were not, 
like many of the opinions of the Greeks, 
defended by weak and sophistical rea- 
soning, but were based on solid evi- 
dence — evidence furnished by the per- 
sonal observation of competent wit- 
nesses. It is true of the gospel in gen- 
eral that it is not founded on cunningly 
devised fables ; but the particular poin 
referred to here is the promised coming 
of the Saviour. The evidence of that 



4. D. 66.] CHAP' 
power and coming of our Lord 

a Mat. 17. 1-5. 

fact Peter proposes now to adduce. 
1T When tve made known unto you. 
Probably Peter here refers particularly 
to statements respecting the coming of 
the Saviour, in his first epistle (ch. i. 

5, 13; iv. 13) ; but this was a common 
topic in the preaching, and in the epis- 
tles, of the apostles. It may, therefore, 
have referred to statements made to 
them at some time in his preaching, as 
well as to what he said in his former 
epistle. The apostles laid great stress 
on the second coming of the Saviour, 
and often dwelt upon it. Comp, 1 
Thess. iv. 16. Notes, Acts i. 1 1. % The 
power and coming. These two words 
refer to the same thing, and the mean- 
ing is, his powerful coming, or his 
coming in power. The advent of the 
Saviour is commonly represented as 
connected with the exhibition of power. 
Matt. xxiv. 30. « Coming in the clouds 
of heaven, with power." See Notes 
on that verse. Comp. Luke xxii. 69. 
Mark iii. 9. The power evinced will 
be by raising the dead ; summoning 
the world to judgment; determining 
the destiny of men, &c. When the 
coming of the Saviour, therefore, was 
referred to by the apostles in their 
preaching, it was probably always in 
connection with the declaration that it 
would be accompanied by exhibitions 
of great power and glory — as it un- 
doubtedly will be. The fact that the 
Lord Jesus would thus return, it is 
clear, had been denied by some among 
those to whom this epistle was ad- 
dressed, and it was important to state 
the evidence on which it was to be be- 
lieved. The grounds on which they 
denied it (ch. iii. 4) were, that there 
were no appearances of his approach ; 
that the promise had not been fulfilled ; 
that all things continued as they had 
been ; and that the affairs of the world 
moved on as they always had done. 
To meet and counteract this error — an 



PER 1. 259 

Jesus Christ, but were eye-wit- 
nesses a of his majesty. 

error which so prevailed that many 
were in danger of « falling from their 
own steadfastness' (ch. iii. 17) — Peter 
states the proof on which he believed 
in the coming of the Saviour. J Bui 
were eye-witnesses of his majesty. On 
the mount of transfiguration. Matt, 
xvii. 1 — 5. See Notes on that passage. 
That transfiguration was witnessed 
only by Peter, James, and John. But, 
it may be asked how the facts there 
witnessed demonstrate the point under 
consideration-— that the Lord Jesus 
will come with power ? To this it 
may be replied, (1.) That these apos- 
tles had there such a view of the Sa- 
viour in his glory as to convince them 
beyond doubt that he was the Messiah. 
(2.) That there was a direct attestation 
given to that fact by a voice from hea- 
ven, declaring that he was the beloved 
Son of God. (3.) That that transfigu- 
ration was understood to have an im- 
portant reference to the coming of the 
Saviour in his kingdom and his glory, 
and was designed to be a representa- 
tion of the manner in which he would 
then appear. This is referred to dis- 
tinctly by each one of the three evan- 
gelists who have mentioned the trans- 
figuration. Matt. xvi. 28. " There be 
some standing here which shall not 
taste of death till they see the Son of 
man coming in his kingdom." Mark 
ix. 1, 2. Luke ix. 27, 28. The trans- 
figuration which occurred soon after 
these words were spoken, was designea 
to show them what he would be in his 
glory, and to furnish to them a demon- 
stration which they could never forget, 
that he would yet set up his kingdom 
in the world. (4.) They had in fact 
such a view of him as he would be in 
his kingdom, that they could entertain 
no doubt on the point ; and the fact a9 
it impressed their own minds they made 
known to others. The evidence as it 
lay in Peter's mind was that thai 



260 



II. PETER. 



[A. D. 6a 



17 For he received from God 
the Father honour and glory, 
when there came such a voice 
to him from the excellent glory, 
This is my beloved Son, in whom 
I am well pleased. 



transfiguration was designed to furnish 
proof to them that the Messiah would 
certainly appear in glory, and to give 
them a view of him as coming to reign 
which would never fade from their 
memory. As that had not yet been 
accomplished, he maintained that the 
evidence was clear that it must occur 
at some future time. As the transfigu- 
ration was with reference to his coming 
in his kingdom, it was proper for Peter 
to use it with that reference, or as 
bearing on that point. 

17. For he received from God the 
Father honour and glory. He was 
honoured by God in being thus ad- 
dressed. ^ When there came such a 
voice to him from the excellent glory. 
The magnificent splendour; the bright 
cloud which overshadowed them. Matt, 
xvii. 5. This is my beloved Son, in 
whom lam well pleased. See Notes 
on Matt. xvii. 5 ; iii. 17. This demon- 
strated that he was the Messiah. Those 
who heard that voice could not doubt 
this ; they never did afterwards doubt. 

18. And this voice which came from 
heaven we heard. To wit, Peter, and 
James, and John. IT When we were 
with him in the holy mount. Called 
holy on account of the extraordinary 
manifestation of the Redeemer's glory 
there. It is not certainly known what 
mountain this was, but it has com- 
monly been supposed to be Mount 
Tabor. See Notes on Matt. xvii. 1. 

19. We have also a more sure word 
of prophecy. That is, a prophecy per- 
taining to the coming of the Lord Je- 
sus ; for that is the point under discus- 
sion. There has been considerable 
diversity of opinion in regard to the 
meaning of this passage. Some have 



18 And this voice which came 
from heaven we heard, when we 
were with him in the holy mount. 

19 We have also a more sure 
word of prophecy; whereunto 
ye do well that ye take heed, as 



supposed that the apostle, when he 
says < a more sure word,' did not intend 
to make any comparison between the 
miracle of the transfiguration and pro- 
phecy, but that he meant to say merely 
that the word of prophecy was very 
sure, and could certainly be relied on. 
Others have supposed that the mean- 
ing is, that the prophecies which fore- 
told his coming into the world having 
been confirmed by the fact of his ad- 
vent, are rendered more sure and un- 
doubted than when they were uttered, 
and may now be confidently appealed 
to. So Rosenmuller, Benson, Mac- 
knight, Clarke, Wetstein, and Grotius. 
Luther renders it, « we have a firm 
prophetic word ;' omitting the compari- 
son. A literal translation of the pas- 
sage would be, < and we have the pro- 
phetic word more firm.' If a compari- 
son is intended, it may be either that 
the prophecy was more sure than the 
fables referred to in ver. 16 ; or than 
the miracle of the transfiguration ; or 
than the word which was heard in the 
holy mount; or than the prophecies 
even in the time when they were first 
spoken. If such a comparison was 
designed, the most obvious of these 
interpretations would be, that the pro- 
phecy was more certain proof than was 
furnished in the mount of transfigura- 
tion. But it seems probable that no 
comparison was intended, and that the 
thing on which Peter intended to fix 
the eye was not that the prophecy was 
a better evidence respecting the advent 
of the Messiah than other evidences, 
but that it was a strong proof which 
demanded their particular attention, as 
being of a firm and decided character. 
There can be no doubt that the apostle 



A. D. 66.J 



CHAPTER I. 



261 



unto a light ° that shineth in a 
dark place, until the day dawn, 

a Ps. 119. 105. Pr. 6. 23. 

refers here to what is contained in the 
Old Testament, for in ver.21, he speaks 
of the prophecy as that which was 
spoken < in old time, by men that were 
moved by the Holy Ghost/ The point 
to which the prophecies related, and to 
which Peter referred, was the great doc- 
trine respecting the coming of the Mes- 
siah, embracing perhaps all that per- 
tained to his work, or all that he designed 
to do by his advent. They had had one 
illustrious proof respecting his advent 
as a glorious Saviour by his transfigu- 
ration on the mount; and the apostle 
here says that the prophecies abounded 
with truths on these points, and that 
they ought to give earnest heed to the 
disclosures which they made, and to 
compare them diligently with facts as 
they occurred, that they might be con- 
firmed more and more in the truth. If, 
however, as the more obvious sense of 
this passage seems to be, and as many 
suppose to be the correct interpretation 
(see Doddridge, in loc, and Professor 
Stuart, on the canon of the O. T., p. 
329), it means that the prophecy was 
more sure, more steadfast, more to be 
depended on than even what the three 
disciples had seen and heard in the 
mount of transfiguration, this may be 
regarded as true in the following re- 
spects: (1.) The prophecies are nume- 
rous, and by their number they furnish 
a stronger proof than could be afforded 
by a single manifestation, however 
clear and glorious. (2.) They were 
recorded, and might be the subject of 
careful comparison with the events as 
they occurred. (3.) They were writ- 
ten long beforehand, and it could not 
be urged that the testimony which the 
prophets bore was owing to any illusion 
on their minds, or to any agreement 
among the different writers to impose 
on the world. Though Peter regarded 
the testimony which he, and James and 



and the Jay-star b arise in your 
hearts : 

b Re. 2. 28 ; 22. 16. 

John bore to the glory of the Saviour 
from what they saw on the holy mount, 
as strong and clear confirmation that 
he was the Son of God, yet he could 
not but be aware that it might be sug- 
gested by a caviller that they might 
have agreed to impose on others, or 
that they might have been dazzled and 
deceived by some natural phenomenon 
occurring there. Comp. Kuinoel on 
Matt. xvii. 1, seq. (4.) Even suppos- 
ing that there was a miracle in the 
case, the evidence of the prophecies, 
embracing many points in the same 
general subject, and extending through 
a long series of years, would be more 
satisfactory than any single miracle 
whatever. See Doddridge, in loc. The 
general meaning is, that the fact that 
he had come as the Messiah, was dis- 
closed in the mount, by such a mani- 
festation of his glory, and of what he 
would be, that they who saw it could 
not doubt it ; the same thing the apos- 
tle says was more fully shown also in 
the prophecies, and these prophecies 
demanded their close and prolonged at- 
tention. Whereunto ye do well that 
ye take heed. They are worthy of 
your study, of your close and careful 
investigation. There is perhaps no 
study more worthy of the attention of 
Christians than that of the prophecies 
IT As unto a light that shineth in a 
dark place. That is, the prophecies 
resemble a candle, lamp, or torch, in a 
dark room, or in an obscure road at 
night. They make objects distinct 
which were before unseen ; they en- 
able us to behold many things which 
would be otherwise invisible. The 
object of the apostle in this repre- 
sentation seems to have been, to state 
that the propheecies do not give a 
perfect light, or that they do not re- 
move all obscurity, but that they shed 
.some light on objects which would 



262 1L PE 

20 Knowing this first, that 

otherwise be entirely dark, and that 
the light which they furnished was so 
valuable that we ought by all means 
to endeavour to avail ourselves of it. 
Until the day shall dawn, and we shall 
see objects by the clear light of the 
gun, they are to be our guide. A lamp 
is of great value in a dark night, though 
it may not disclose objects so clearly as 
the light of the sun. But it may be a 
safe and sure guide, and a man who 
has to travel in dark and dangerous 
places, does * well' to < take heed' to his 
lamp. IT Until the day dawn. Until 
you have the clearer light which shall 
result from the dawning of the day. 
The reference here is to the morning 
light as compared with a lamp ; and 
the meaning is, that we should attend 
to the light furnished by the prophecies 
until the truth shall be rendered more 
distinct by the events as they shall act- 
ually be disclosed — until the brighter 
light which shall be shed on all things 
by the glory of the second advent of 
the Saviour, and the clearing up of 
what is now obscure in the splendours 
of the heavenly world. The point of 
comparison is between the necessary 
obscurity of prophecy, and the clear- 
ness of events when they actually oc- 
cur — a difference like that which is ob- 
servable in the objects around us when 
seen by the shining of the lamp and 
by the light of the sun. The apostle 
directs the mind onward to a period 
when all shall be clear — to that glori- 
ous time when the Saviour shall re- 
turn to receive his people to himself in 
that heaven where all shall be light. 
Comp. Rev. xxi. 23 — 25; xxii. 5. 
Meantime, we should avail ourselves 
of all the light which we have, and 
should apply ourselves diligently to the 
study of the prophecies of the Old Tes- 
tament which are still unfulfilled, and 
of those in the New Testament which 
direct the mind onward to brighter and 



rER. [A. D. 66 

no prophecy of the Scripture ia 
of any private interpretation. 

more glorious scenes than this world 
has yet witnessed. In our darkness 
they are a cheering lamp to guide our 
feet till that illustrious day shall dawn. 
Comp. Notes on 1 Cor. xiii. 9, 10. 
U And the day-star. The morning 
star — the bright star that at certain pe- 
riods of the year leads on the day, and 
which is a pledge that the morning is 
about to dawn. Comp. Rev. ii. 28 : 
xxii. 16. IT Arise in your hearts. On 
your hearts ; that is, sheds its beams 
on your hearts. Till you see the indi- 
cations of that approaching day in 
which all is light. The period referred 
to here by the approaching day that is 
to diffuse this light is, when the Sa- 
viour shall return in the full revelation 
of his glory — the splendour of his king- 
dom. Then, all will be clear. Till 
that time, we should search the pro- 
phetic records, and strengthen our faith, 
and comfort our hearts, by the predic- 
tions of the future glory of his reign. 
Whether this refers, as some suppose, 
to his reign on earth either personally 
or by the principles of his religion uni- 
versally prevailing, or, as others sup- 
pose, to the brighter revelations of hea- 
ven when he shall come to receive his 
people to himself, it is equally clear 
that a brighter time than any that has 
yet occurred is to dawn on our race, 
and equally true that we should regard 
the prophecies, as we do the morning 
star, as the cheering harbinger of day. 

20. Knowing this first. Bearing 
this steadily in mind as a primary and 
most important truth. IT That no pro- 
phecy of the Scripture, No prophecy 
contained in the inspired records, The 
word Scripture here shows that the 
apostle referred particularly to the pro- 
phecies recorded in the Old Testament 
The remark which he makes about 
prophecy is general, though it is de- 
signed to bear on a particular class of 
the prophecies. IT Is of any privaU 



A. 1>. 66.] 



CHAPTER I. 



26b 



interpretation. The expression here 
used (c6Ya$ S7iCkvcza>s) has given rise to 
as great a diversity of interpretation, 
and to as much discussion, as perhaps 
any phrase in the New Testament, and 
to the present time there is no general 
agreement among expositors as to its 
meaning. It would be foreign to the 
design of these Notes, and would be 
of little utility, to enumerate the differ- 
ent interpretations which have been 
.given of the passage, or to examine 
them in detail. It will be sufficient to 
remark, preparatory to endeavouring to 
ascertain the true sense of the passage, 
that some have held that it teaches that 
no prophecy can be interpreted of it- 
self, but can be understood only by 
comparing it with the event ; others 
that it teaches that the prophets did 
not themselves understand what they 
wrote, but were mere passive organs 
under the dictation of the Holy Spirit 
to communicate to future times what 
they could not themselves explain ; 
others that it teaches that " no prophecy 
is of self-interpretation'' [Horsley~j ; 
others that it teaches that the prophe- 
cies, besides having a literal significa- 
tion, have also a hidden and mystical 
sense which cannot be learned from 
the prophecies themselves, but is to be 
perceived by a peculiar power of in- 
sight imparted by the Holy Ghost, 
enabling men to understand their re- 
condite mysteries. It would be easy to 
show that some of these opinions are 
absurd, and that none of them are 
sustained by the fair interpretation 
)f the language used, and by the drift 
of the passage. The more correct in- 
terpretation, as it seems to me, is that 
which supposes that the apostle teaches 
that the truths which the prophets 
communicated were not originated by 
themselves; were not of their own 
suggestion or invention ; were not their 
own opinions, but were of higher ori- 
gin, and were imparted by God ; and 
according to this, the passage may be 
explained 'knowing this as a point of 



first importance when you approach 
the prophecies, or always bearing this 
in mind, that it is a great principle in 
regard to the prophets that what they 
communicated was not of their own 
disclosure ; that is, was not revealed 
or originated by them. , That this is 
the correct interpretation will be ap- 
parent from the following considera- 
tions: (1.) It accords with the design 
of the apostle, which is to produce an 
impressive sense of the importance and 
value of the prophecies, and to lead 
those to whom he wrote to study them 
with diligence. This could be secured 
in no way so well as by assuring them 
that the writings which he wished them 
to study did not contain truths origin- 
ated by the human mind, but that they 
were of higher origin. (2.) This in- 
terpretation accords with what is said 
in the following verse, and is the 
only one of ail those proposed that is 
consistent with that, or in connection 
with which that verse will have any 
force. In that verse (21) a reason is 
given for what is said here : " For 
(yap) the prophecy came not in old 
time by the will of man" &c. But 
this can be a good reason for what is 
said here only on the supposition that 
the apostle meant to say that what 
they communicated was not originated 
by themselves ; that it was of a higher 
than human origin ; that the prophets 
spake « as they were moved by the 
Holy Ghost.' This fact was a good 
reason why they should show pro- 
found respect for the prophecies, and 
study them with attention. But how 
could the fact that they were moved by 
the Holy Ghost be a reason for study- 
ing them if the meaning here is that 
the prophets could not understand their 
own language, or that the prophecy 
could be understood only by the 
event, or that the prophecy had a 
double meaning, &c. If the prophe- 
cies were of divine origin, then that 
was a good reason why they should 
be approached with reverence, and 



264 



EL PETER. 



[A. IX 66 



should be profoundly studied. (3.) 
This interpretation accords as well, to 
say the least, with the fair meaning of 
the language employed, as either of the 
other opinions proposed. Th* word 
rendered interpretation (iitfavoii) occurs 
nowhere else in the New Testament. 
It properly means solution (Rob. Lex.), 
disclosure (Prof. Stuart on the O. T., 
p. 328), making free (Passow,) with 
the notion that what is thus released or 
loosed was before bound, entangled, 
obscure. The verb from which this 
word is derived (srtt-Tuw) means to let 
loose upon, as dogs upon a hare, Xen. 
Mem. 7, 8 ; ib. 9, 10 ; to loose or open 
letters ; to loosen a band ; to loose or 
disclose a riddle or a dark saying, and 
then to enlighten, illustrate, &c. Passow. 
It is twice used in the New Testament. 
Mark iv. 34, <he expounded all things 
to his disciples ; Acts xix. 39, « it shall be 
determined in a lawful assembly.' The 
verb would be applicable to loosing any 
thing which is bound or confined, and 
thence to the explanation of a myste- 
rious doctrine or a parable, or to a dis- 
closure of what was before unknown. 
The word, according to this, in the 
place before us, would mean the dis- 
closure of what was before bound, or 
retained, or unknown ; either what had 
never been communicated at all, or 
what had been communicated obscurely, 
and the idea is, « no prophecy recorded 
in the Scripture is of, or comes from, 
any exposition or disclosure of the will 
and purposes of God by the prophets 
themselves.' It is not a thing of their 
own, or a private matter originating 
with themselves, but is to be traced tc 
a higher source. If this be the true 
interpretation, then it follows that the 
prophecies are to be regarded as of 
higher than any human origin, and 
then, also, it follows that this passage 
should not be used to prove that the 
prophets did not understand the nature 
of their own communications, or that 
they were mere unconscious and pas- 
sive instruments in the hand of God 



to make known his will. Whatevei 
may be the truth on those points, this 
passage proves nothing in regard to 
them, any more than the fact that a 
minister of religion now declares truth 
which he did not originate, but which 
is to be traced to God as its author, 
proves that he does not understand 
what he himself says. It follows, also, 
that this passage cannot be adduced by 
the Papists to prove that the people at 
large should not have free access to the 
word of God, and should not be allowed 
to interpret it for themselves. It makes 
no affirmation on that point, and does 
not even contain any principle of which 
such a use can be made, for (1.) what- 
ever it means, it is confined to pro- 
phecy • it does not embrace the whole 
Bible. (2.) Whatever it means, it 
merely states a fact ; it does not enjoin 
a duty. It states, as a fact, that there 
was something about the prophecies 
which was not of private solution, but 
it does not state that it is the duty of 
the church to prevent any private ex- 
planation or opinion even of the pro- 
phecies. (3.) It says nothing about 
the church as empowered to give a 
public or authorised interpretation of 
the prophecies. There is not a hint, or 
an intimation of any kind that the 
church is entrusted with any such 
power whatever. There never was 
any greater perversion of a passage of 
Scripture than to suppose that this 
teaches Jnat auy class of men is not 
to have free access to the Bible. The 
effect of the passage, properly inter- 
preted, should be to lead us to study 
the Bible with profound reverence, as 
having a higher than any human origin, 
not to turn away from it as if it were 
unintelligible, nor to lead us to suppose 
that it can be interpreted only by one 
class of men. The fact that it discloses 
truths which the human mind could 
not of itself have originated, is a good 
reason for studying it with diligence 
and with prayer; not for supposing 
that it is unlawful for us to attempt to 



A.. D. 66.] 



CHAPTER i. 



265 



21 For the prophecy came 
not 1 in a old time by the will of 

i or, at any. a Lu. 1. 70. b 2 Ti. 3. 16, 

understand it ; a good reason for rever- 
ence and veneration for it, not for sanc- 
tified neglect. 

21. For the prophecy came not in 
old time. Marg., 1 or at any.' The 
Greek word (rforf) will bear either 
construction. It would be true in 
either sense, but the reference is par- 
ticularly to the recorded prophecies in 
the Old Testament. What was true 
of them, however, is true of all pro- 
phecy, that it is not by the will of man. 
The word prophecy here is without the 
article, meaning prophecy in general — 
all that is prophetic in the Old Testa- 
ment; or, in a more general sense still, 
all that the prophets taught, whether 
relating to future events or not. TT By 
the will of man. It was not of human 
origin ; not discovered by the human 
mind. The word will, here seems to 
be used in the sense of prompting or 
suggestion ; men did not speak by their 
own suggestion, but as truth was 
brought to them by God. IT But holy 
men of God. Pious men commissioned 
by God, or employed by him as his 
messengers to mankind. IT Spake as 
they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 
Comp. 2 Tim. iii. 16. The Greek 
phrase here (yrto 7ivzliiwto$ cvylov 
pspofisvoi) means borne along, moved, 
influenced by the Holy Ghost. The 
idea is, that in what they spake they 
were carried along by an influence 
from above. They moved in the case 
only as they were moved ; they spake 
only as the influence of the Holy 
Ghost was upon them. They were 
no more self-moved than a vessel at 
sea is that is impelled by the wind; 
and as the progress made by the vessel 
is to be measured by the impulse bear- 
ing upon it, so the statements made by 
the prophets are to be traced to the im- 
pulse which bore upon their minds. 
Thev were not, indeed, in all respects 



man: but holy men of God 
spake as they were moved 5 by 
the Holy Ghost. 

like such a vessel, but only in regard 
to the fact that all they said as prophets 
was to.be traced to the foreign influence 
that bore upon their minds. There 
could not be, therefore, a more decided 
declaration than this in proof that the 
prophets were inspired. If the au 
thority of Peter is admitted, his posi- 
tive and explicit assertion settles the 
question. If this be so, also, then the 
point with reference to which he makes 
this observation is abundantly con- 
firmed, that the prophecies demand our 
earnest attention, and that we should 
give all the heed to them which we 
would to a light or lamp when travel- 
ling in a dangerous way, and in a dark 
night. In a still more general sense, 
the remark here made may also be ap- 
plied to the whole of the Scriptures. 
We are in a dark world. We see few 
things clearly, and all around us, on a 
thousand questions, there is the ob- 
scurity of midnight. By nature there 
is nothing to cast light on those ques- 
tions, and we are perplexed, bewildered, 
embarrassed. The Bible is given to 
us to shed light on our way. It is the 
only light which we have respecting 
the future, and though it does not give 
all the information which we might 
desire in regard to what is to come, yet 
it gives us sufficient light to guide us 
to heaven. It teaches us what it is 
necessary to know about God, about 
our duty, and about the way of salva- 
tion, in order to conduct us safely, and 
no one who has committed himself to its 
direction has been suffered to wander 
finally away from the paths of salva- 
tion. It is, therefore, a duty to attend 
to the instructions which the Bible im- 
parts, and to commit ourselves to its 
holy guidance in our journey to a better 
world. For soon, if we are faithful to 
its teachings, the light of eternity will 
dawn upon us, and there, amidst it^ 



266 



II. PETER. 



[A. D. 66. 



cloudless splendour, we shall « see as 
we are seen,, and know as we are 
known then we shall < need no 
candle, neither light of the sun ; for 
the Lord God shall give us light, and 
we shall reign for ever and ever/ Comp. 
Rev. xxi. 22 — 24 ; xxii. 5. 

CHAPTER II. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

The general subject of this chapter 
is stated in the first verse, and it em- 
braces these points : I. That it might 
be expected that there would be false 
teachers among Christians, as there 
were false prophets in ancient times. 

II. That they would introduce destruc- 
tive errors, leading many astray ; and 

III. That they would be certainly 
punished. The design of the chapter 
is to illustrate and defend these points. 

I. That there would be such false 
teachers the apostle expressly states 
(ver. 1), and incidentally in that verse 
and elsewhere in the chapter he notices 
some of their characteristics, or some 
of the doctrines which they would hold. 
(a) They would deny the Lord that 
bought them. ver. 1. See Notes on 
that verse. (Z>) They would be influ- 
enced by covetousness, and their object 
in their attempting to seduce others 
from the faith, and to induce them to 
become followers of themselves, would 
be to make money, ver. 3. (c) They 
would be corrupt, beastly, and licen- 
tious in their conduct ; and it would be 
one design of their teaching to show 
that the indulgence of gross passions 
was not inconsistent with religion 
(ver. 10); < that walk after the flesh, 
in the lust of uncleanness' (ver. 12) ; 
* as natural brute beasts « shall perish 
in their own corruption' (ver. 14); 
« having eyes full of adultery, and that 
cannot cease from sin' (ver. 22) ; < the 
dog has returned to his own vomit 
again/ (d) They would be proud, 
arrogant, and self-willed ; men who 
would despise all proper government, 
and who would be thoroughly < radical* 



in their views (ver. 10) ; « and despise 
government; presumptuous are they 
and self-willed ; they are not afraid to 
speak evil of dignities' (ver. 18) ; 
« they speak great swelling words of 
vanity.' (e) They were persons who 
had been formerly of corrupt lives, but 
who had become professing Christians. 
This is implied in vs. 20 — 22. They 
are spoken of as having « escaped the 
pollutions of the world, through the 
knowledge of the Lord and Saviour 
Jesus Christ;' as « having known the 
ways of righteousness,' but as having 
turned again to their former corrupt 
practices and lusts; « it has happened 
to them according to the true proverb,' 
&c. There were various classes of 
persons in primitive times, coming 
under the general appellation of the 
term Gnostic^ to whom this description 
would apply, and it is probable that 
they had begun to broach their doc- 
trines in the times of. the apostles. 
Among those persons were the Ebion- 
ites, Corinthians, Nicolaitanes, &c. 

II. These false teachers would ob- 
tain followers, and their teachings 
would be likely to allure many. This 
is intimated more than once in the 
chapter, ver. 3. « And many shall fol- 
low their pernicious ways.' ver. 3. 
< And through covetousness shall they 
with feigned words make merchandise 
of you.' ver. 14. « Beguiling unstable 
souls.' Comp. ver. 18. 

III. They would certainly be pun- 
ished. A large part of the chapter is 
taken up in proving this point, and 
especially in showing from the exam- 
ples of others who had erred in a simi- 
lar manner, that they could not escape 
destruction. In doing this, the apostle 
refers to the following facts and illus- 
trations : (1.) The case of the angels 
that sinned, and that were cast down 
to hell. ver. 4. If God brought such 
dreadful punishment on those who 
were once before his throne, wicked 
men could have no hope of escape 
(2.) The case of the wicked in the 



A. D. 66.] 



CHAPTER II. 



267 



B 



CHAPTER II. 

UT there" were false prophets 
also among the people, even 



time of Noah, who were cut off" by the 
flood, ver. 5. (3.) The case of Sodom 
and Gomorrah, ver. 6. (4.) The cha- 
racter of the persons referred to was 
oucn that they could have no hope of 
escape, (a) They were corrupt, sen- 
sual, presumptuous, and self-willed, and 
were even worse than the rebel angels 
had been — men that seemed to be made 
to be taken and destroyed, vs. 10 — 12. 
(6) They were spots and blemishes, 
sensual and adulterers, emulating the 
example of Balaam, who was rebuked 
by even a dumb ass for his iniquity, 
vs. 13—16, (c) They allured others 
to sin under the specious promise of 
liberty, while they were themselves the 
slaves of debased appetites, and gross 
and sensual passions, vs. 17 — 19. From 
the entire description in this chapter it 
is clear that the persons referred to, 
though once professors of religion, had 
become eminently abandoned and cor- 
rupt. It may not, indeed, be easy to 
identify them with any particular .sect 
or class then existing and now known 
in history, though not a few of the 
sects in the early Christian church 
bore a strong resemblance to this de- 
scription ; but there have been those in 
every age who have strongly resembled 
these persons, and this chapter, there- 
fore, possesses great value as containing 
important warnings against the arts of 
false teachers, and the danger of being 
seduced by them from the truth. Comp. 
Intro, to the Epistle of Jude, § 3, 4. 

1. But there were false prophets 
among the people. In the previous 
chapter (vs. 19 — 21) Peter had appealed 
to the prophecies as containing unan- 
swerable proofs of the truth of the 
Christian religion. He says, however, 
that he did not mean to say that all who 
claimed to be prophets were true mes- 
sengers of God. There were many 



as there shall be false teachers 
among you, b who privily shall 

a De. 13. 1. &c. 
b Matt. 24. 5, 24. Ac. 20. 29, 30. 1 Ti. 4. 1. 



who pretended to be such, who only 
led the people astray. It is unne- 
cessary to say, that such men have 
abounded in all ages where there have 
been true prophets. % Even as there 
shall be false teachers among you. 
The fact that false teachers would arise 
in the church, is often adverted to in 
the New Testament. Comp. Matt, 
xxiv. 5, 24. Acts xx. 29, 30. IT Who 
privily. That is, in a secret manner, 
or under plausible arts and pretences. 
They would not at first make an open 
avowal of their doctrines, but would in 
fact, while their teachings seemed to be 
in accordance with truth, covertly main- 
tain opinions which would sap the ver 
foundations of religion. The Greek 
word here used, and which is rendered 
< who privily shall bring in' (rtapstcrayw), 
means properly to lead in by the side 
of others • to lead in along with others. 
Nothing could better express the usual 
way in which error is introduced. It 
is by the side, or along with, other doc- 
trines which are true ; that is, while 
the mind is turned mainly to other sub- 
jects, and is off its guard, gently and 
silently to lay down some principle 
which being admitted would lead to the 
error, or from which the error would 
follow as a natural consequence. Those 
who inculcate error rarely do it openly. 
If they would at once boldly < deny the 
Lord that bought them/ it would be 
easy to meet them, and the mass of 
professed Christians would be in no 
danger of embracing the error. But 
when principles are laid down which 
may lead to that; when doubts on re- 
mote points are suggested wtiich may 
involve it ; or when a long train of 
reasoning is pursued which may secretly 
tend to it ; there is much more proba* 
bility that the mind will be corrupted 
from the truth. IF Damnable heresies 



268 



II. PETER. 



[A.D. 66. 



bring in damnable heresies, even 
denying the Lord that bought 

(atpeusej drtcoteJaO. ' Heresies of de- 
struction that is, heresies that will be 
followed by destruction. The Greek 
word which is rendered damnable is 
the same which in the close of the 
verse is rendered destruction. It is so 
rendered also in Matt. vii. 13. Rom. ix. 
22. Phil. iii. 19. 2 Pet. iii. 16— in all 
of which places it refers to the future 
loss of the soul. The same word also 
ts rendered perdition in John xvii. 12. 
Phil. i. 28. 1 Tim. vi. 9. Heb. x. 39. 
2 Pet. iii. 7. Kev. xvii. 8, 11— in all 
which places it has the same reference. 
On the meaning of the word rendered 
» heresies? see Notes on Acts xxiv. 14. 
1 Cor. xi. 19. The idea of sect or 
party is that which is conveyed by this 
word, rather than doctrinal errors ; but 
it is evident that in this case the for- 
mation of the sect or party, as is the 
fact in most cases, would be founded 
on error of doctrine. The thing which 
these false teachers would attempt 
would be divisions, alienations, or par- 
ties, in the church, but these would be 
based on the erroneous doctrines which 
they would promulgate. What would 
be the particular doctrine in this case 
is immediately specified, to wit, that 
they < would deny the Lord that bought 
them.' The idea then is, that these 
false teachers would form sects or par- 
ties in the church, of a destructive or 
ruinous nature, founded on a denial of 
the Lord that bought them. Such a 
formation of sects would be ruinous to 
piety, to good morals, and to the soul. 
The authors of these sects, holding the 
views which they did, and influenced 
by the motives which they would be, 
and practising the morals which they 
would practice, as growing out of their 
principles, would bring upon themselves 
swift and certain destruction. It is 
not possible now to determine to what 
particular class of errorists the apostle 
had reference here, but it is generally 



them, and bring upon themselves 
swift destruction. 

supposed that it was to some form of 
the Gnostic belief. There were many 
early sects of so-called heretics to whom 
what he here says would be appli- 
cable. IT Even denying the Lord 
that bought them. This must mean 
that they held doctrines which were 
in fact a denial of the Lord, or the 
tendency of which would be a denial 
of the Lord, for it cannot be supposed 
that, while they professed to be Chris- 
tians, they would openly and avowedly 
deny him. To 'deny the Lord' may 
be either to deny his existence, his 
claims, or his attributes ; it is to with- 
hold from him, in our belief and pro- 
fession, any thing which is essential to 
a proper conception of him. The par- 
ticular thing, however, which is men- 
tioned here as entering into that self- 
denial, is something connected with the 
fact that he had 1 bought 1 them. It 
was such a denial of the Lord as 
having bought them, as to be in fact a 
renunciation of the peculiarity of tho 
Christian religion. There has been 
much difference of opinion as to the 
meaning of the word Lord in this 
place, whether it refers to God the 
Father, or to the Lord Jesus Christ. 
The Greek word is AeGTtottjt (des- 
potes). Many expositors have main- 
tained that it refers to the Father, and 
that when it is said that he had bought 
them, it means in a general sense that 
he was the author of the plan of re- 
demption, and had caused them to be 
purchased or redeemed. Michaelis sup* 
poses that the Gnostics are referred to 
as denying the Father by asserting that 
he was not the Creator of the universe, 
maintaining that it was created by an 
inferior being. Intro, to N. T. iv. 380 
Whitby, Benson, Slade, and man^ 
others, maintain that this refers to the 
Father as having originated the plan 
by which men are redeemed ; and tho 
same opinion is held, of necessity, b? 



\ 



A. D. 66.] 



CHAPTER II. 



269 



those who deny the doctrine of general 
atonement. The only arguments to 
show that it refers to God the Father 
would be (1.) that the word used here 
(As o riot r ( q) is not the usual term 
(xvpios) by which the Lord Jesus is 
designated in the New Testament ; 
and (2.) that the admission that it re- 
fers to the Lord Jesus would lead in- 
evitably to the conclusion that some 
will perish for whom Christ died. That 
it does, however, refer to the Lord 
Jesus, seems to me to be plain from 
the following considerations : (1) It is 
the obvious interpretation ; that which 
would be given by the great mass of 
Christians, and about which there could 
never have been any hesitancy if it had 
not been supposed that it would lead 
to the doctrine of general atonement. 
As to the alleged fact that the word 
used (despotes) is not that which is 
commonly applied to the Lord Jesus, 
that may be admitted -to be true, but 
still the word here may be under- 
stood as applied to him. It properly 
means a master as opposed to a ser- 
vant; then it is used as denoting su- 
preme authority, and is thus applied 
to God, and may be in that sense to 
the Lord Jesus Christ, as head over all 
things, or as having supreme authority 
over the church. It occurs in the New 
Testament only in the following places: 
1 Tim. vi. 1, 2. Titus ii. 9. 1 Pet. ii. 
18, where it is rendered masters ; Luke 
ii. 29. Acts iv. 24. Rev. vi. 10, where 
it is rendered Lord, and is applied to 
God; and in Jude 4, and in the pas- 
sage before us, in both which places it 
is rendered Lord, and is probably to be 
regarded as applied to the Lord Jesus. 
There is nothing in the proper signifi- 
cation of the word which would forbid 
this. (2.) The phrase is one that is 
properly applicable to the Lord Jesus 
as having bought us with his blood. 
The Greek word is ayopc^co ; a word 
which means properly to market, to 
buy, to purchase, and then to redeem, 
or acquire for one's self by a price paid, 
23* 



or by a ransom. It is rendeied buy or 
bought in the following places in the 
New Testament: — Matt. xiii. 44, 46 ; 
xiv. 15; xxi. 12; xxv. 9, 10; xxvii. 
7. Mark vi. 36, 37 ; xi. 15 ; xv. 46 ; 
xvi. 1. Luke ix. 13; xiv. 18, 19; xvii. 
28 ; xix. 45 ; xxii. 36. John iv. 8 ; vi. 
5; xiii. 29. 1 Cor. vii. 30. Rev. iii.18; 
xiii. 17; xviii. 11, in all which places 
it is applicable to ordinary transactions 
of buying. In the following places it 
is also rendered bought, as applicable 
to the redeemed, as being bought or 
purchased by the Lord Jesus, 1 Cor. 
vi. 20 ; vii. 23. < Ye are bought with 
a price ;' and in the following places it 
is rendered redeemed, Rev. v. 9 ^ xiv. 
3, 4. It does not elsewhere occur in 
the New Testament. It is true that in 
a large sense this word might be ap- 
plied to the Father as having caused 
his people to be redeemed, or as being 
the author of the plan of redemption ; 
but it is also true that the word is more 
properly applicable to the Lord Jesus, 
and that, when used with reference to 
redemption, it is uniformly given to 
him in the New Testament. Comp. 
the passages referred to above. It is 
strictly and properly true only of the 
Son of God that he has < bought' us. 
The Father indeed is represented as 
making the arrangement, as giving his 
Son to die, and as the great source of 
all the blessings secured by redemp- 
tion ; but the purchase was actually 
made by the Son of God by his sacri- 
fice on the cross. Whatever there was 
of the nature of a price was paid by 
him ; and whatever obligations may 
grow out of the fact that we are pur- 
chased or ransomed are due particularly 
to him. 2 Cor. v. 15. These considera- 
tions seem to me to make it clear that 
Peter referred here to the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and that he meant to say that 
the false teachers mentioned held doc- 
trines which were in fact a denial of 
that Saviour. He does not specify parti- 
cularly what constituted such a denial ; 
but it is plain that any doctrine wt .ch 



270 



II. PETER. 



[A. D. 68. 



2 And many shall follow their 
* pernicious ways; by reason of 

i or, lascivious, as some copies read. 

represented him, his person, or his 
work, as essentially different from what 
was the truth, would amount to such 
a denial. If he was divine, and that 
fact was denied, making him wholly a 
different being ; if he actually made 
an expiatory sacrifice by his death, and 
that fact was denied, and he was held 
to be a mere religious teacher, changing 
essentially the character of the work 
which he came to perform ; if he, in 
some proper sense, « bought' them with 
his blood, and that fact was denied in 
such a way that according to their 
views it was not strictly proper to speak 
of him as having bought them at all, 
which would be the case if he were a 
mere prophet or religious teacher, then 
it is clear that such a representation 
would be in fact a denial of his true 
nature and work. That some of these 
views entered into their denial of him 
is clear, for it was with reference to the 
fact that he had < bought' them or re- 
deemed them that they denied him. 
IT And bring upon themselves swift 
destruction. The destruction here re- 
ferred to can be only that which will 
occur in the future world, for there can 
be no evidence that Peter meant to 
say that this would destroy their health, 
their property, or their lives. The 
Greek word (ariutXsia) is the same 
which is used in the former part of the 
verse, in the phrase 'damnable here- 
sies.' See Notes. In regard, then, to 
this important passage, we may remark 
(1.) that the apostle evidently believed 
that some would perish for whom 
Christ died. (2.) If this be so, then 
the same truth may be expressed by 
saying that he died for others besides 
those who will be saved ; that is, that 
the atonement was not confined merely 
to the elect. This one passage, there- 
fore, demonstrates the doctrine of gene- 
ral atonement. This conclusion would 



whom the way of truth shall be 
evil spoken of. 



be drawn from it by the great mass of 
readers, and it may be presumed, there- 
fore, that this is the fair interpretation 
of the passage. (3.) It follows that 
men may destroy themselves by a de- 
nial of the great and vital doctrines of 
religion. It cannot be a harmless 
thing, then, to hold erroneous opinions, 
nor can men be safe who deny the 
fundamental doctrines of Christianity. 
It is truth, not error, that saves the 
soul i and an erroneous opinion on any 
subject may be as dangerous to a man's 
ultimate peace, happiness, and pros- 
perity, as a wrong course of life. How 
many men have been ruined in their 
worldly prospects, their health, and 
their lives, by holding false sentiments 
on the subject of morals, or in regard 
to medical treatment ! Who would 
regard it as a harmless thing if a son 
should deny in respect to his fathei 
that he was a man of truth, probity, 
and honesty, or should attribute to him 
a character which does not belong to 
him — a character just the reverse of 
truth] Can the same thing be inno- 
cent in regard to God our Saviour] 
(4.) Men bring destruction « on them~ 
selves' No one compels them to deny 
the Lord that bought them ; no one 
forces them to embrace any dangerous 
error. If men perish, they perish by 
their own fault, for (a) ample provision 
was made for their salvation as well as 
for others; (Jb) they were freely in- 
vited to be saved ; (c) it was, in itself, 
just as easy for them to embrace the 
truth as it was for others ; and (o?) it 
was as easy to embrace the truth as to 
embrace error. 

2. And many shall follow their per- 
nicious ways. Marg., lascivious. A 
large number of manuscripts and ver- 
sions read lascivious here (atffkyuwj) 
instead of pernicious (artcotetais), (See 
Wetstein,) and this reading is adopted 



A. D. 66.] 



CHAPTER II. 



271 



3 And through covetousness | 
snail they with feigned words 
make merchandise of you : whose 



in the editions of'the Greek Testament 
by Tittman, Griesbach, and Hahn, and 
it seems probable that this is the correct 
reading. This will agree well with the 
account elsewhere given of these teach- 
ers, that their doctrines tended to licen- 
tiousness, vs. 10, 14, 18, 19. It is a 
very remarkable circumstance that 
those who have denied the essential 
doctrines of the gospel have been so 
frequently licentious in their own con- 
duct, and have inculcated opinions 
which tended to licentiousness. Many 
of the forms of religious error have 
somehow had a connection with this 
vice. Men who are corrupt at heart 
often seek to obtain for their corruptions 
the sanction of religion. IT By reason 
of whom the way of truth shall be 
evil spoken of. (1.) Because they were 
professors of religion, and religion 
would seem to be held responsible for 
their conduct; and (2.) because they 
were professed teachers of religion, 
and, by many, would be understood as 
expounding the true doctrines of the 
gospel. 

3. And through covetuusness. This 
shows what one of the things was by 
which they were influenced — a thing 
which, like licentiousness, usually ex- 
erts a powerful influence over the 
teachers of error. The religious prin- 
ciple is the strongest that is implanted 
in the human bosom, and men who 
can obtain a livelihood in no other way, 
or who are too unprincipled or too in- 
dolent to labour for an honest living, 
often turn public teachers of religion, 
and adopt the kind of doctrines that 
will be likely to give them the greatest 
power over the purses of others. True 
religion, indeed, requires of its friends 
to devote all that they have to the ser- 
vice of God and to the promotion of 
his cause ; but it is very easy to pervert 



judgment ° now of a long time 
lingereth not, and their damna- 
tion slumbereth not 1 . 

a Jude 4-7. 

this requirement so that the teacher of 
error shall take advantage of it for his 
own aggrandizement. % Shall they 
with feigned words. Gr., formed, fa- 
shioned ; then those which are formed 
for the occasion — feigned, false, deceit- 
ful. The idea is, that the doctrines 
which they would defend were not 
maintained by solid and substantial 
arguments, but that they would make 
use of plausible reasoning made up for 
the occasion. *X Make merchandise 
of you. Treat you not as rational be- 
ings, but as a bale of goods, or any 
other article of traffic. That is, they 
would endeavour to make money out 
of them, and regard them only as fitted 
to promote that object. IT Whose judg- 
ment. Whose condemnation. If Now 
of a long time lingereth not. Gr., < of 
old ; long since.' The idea seems to 
be, that justice had been long attentive 
to their movements, and was on its 
way to their destruction. It was not 
a new thing; that is, there was no new 
principle involved in their destruction, 
but it was a principle which had al- 
ways been in operation, and which 
would certainly be applicable to them, 
and of a long time justice had been 
impatient to do the work which it was 
accustomed to do. What had occurred 
to the angels that sinned (ver. 4), to 
the old world (ver. 5), and to Sodom 
and Gomorrah (ver. 6), would occur 
to them, and the same justice which 
had overthrown them might be regarded 
as on its way to effect their destruction. 
Comp. Notes on Isa. xviii. 4. IT And, 
their damnation slumbereth not. Their 
condemnation (Notes, 1 Cor. xi. 29) — 
yet here referring to future punishment. 
" Mr. Blackwell observes, that this is 
a most beautiful figure, representing 
the vengeance that shall destroy such 
incorrigible sinners, as an angel of 



II. PETER. 



[A. D. 60. 



4 For if God spared not the 
angels that sinned, but cast them 
down to hell, and delivered them 

judgment pursuing them on the wing, 
continually approaching nearer and 
nearer, and in the mean time keeping 
a watchful eye upon them, that he may 
at length discharge an unerring blow." 
Doddridge. It is not uncommon to 
speak of 4 sleepless justice;' and the 
idea here is, that, however justice may 
have seemed to slumber or to linger, it 
was not really so, but that it had on 
them an ever watchful eye, and was 
on its way to do that which was right 
in regard to them. A sinner should 
never forget that there is an eye of un- 
slumbering vigilance always upon him, 
and that every thing that he does is 
witnessed by one who will yet render 
exact justice to all men. No man, 
however careful to conceal his sins, or 
however bold in transgression, or how- 
ever unconcerned he may seem to be, 
can hope that justice will always lin- 
ger, or destruction always slumber. 

4. For if God spared not the angels 
that sinned. The apostle now pro- 
ceeds to the proof of the proposition 
that these persons would be punished. 
It is to be remembered that they had 
been, or were even then, professing 
Christians, though they had really, if 
not in form, apostatized from the faith 
(vs. 20 — 22), and a part of the proofs, 
therefore, are derived from the cases of 
those who had apostatized from the 
service of God. He appeals, therefore, 
to the case of the angels that had re- 
volted. Neither their former rank, 
their dignity, nor their holiness, saved 
them from being thrust down to hell ; 
and if God punished them so severely, 
then false teachers could not hope to 
escape. The apostle, by the angels 
here, refers undoubtedly to a revolt in 
heaven — an event referred to in Jude 
6, and everywhere implied in the Scrip- 
tures. When that occurred, however ; 
why they revolted, or what was the 



into chains of darkness to be re- 
served unto judgment ; 



number of the apostates, we have not 
the slightest information, and on these 
points conjecture would be useless. In 
the supposition that it occurred, there 
is no improbability ; for there is no- 
thing more absurd in the belief that 
angels have revolted than that men 
have ; and if there are evil angels, as 
there is no more reason to doubt than 
that there are evil men, it is morally 
certain that they must have fallen at 
some period from a state of holiness, 
for it cannot be believed that God made 
them wicked. IT But cast them down 
to hell. Gr., 7'apT'aptocrtt$ — ' thrusting 
them down to Tartarus. 7 The word 
here used occurs nowhere else in the 
New Testament, though it is common 
in the classical writers. It is a verb 
formed from Taptfopos (Tartarus), 
which in Greek mythology was the 
lower part, or abyss of Hades, where 
the shades of the wicked were supposed 
to be imprisoned and tormented, and 
answers! to the Jewish word Tsevva — 
Gehenna. It was regarded, commonly, 
as beneath the earth ; as entered through 
the grave ; as dark, dismal, gloomy ; 
and as a place of punishment. Comp. 
Notes on Job x. 21, 22, and Matt. v. 22. 
The word here is one that properly 
refers to a place of punishment, since 
the whole argument relates to that, and 
since it cannot be pretended that the 
' angels that sinned' were removed to 
a place of happiness on account of their 
transgression. It must also refer to 
punishment in some other world than 
this, for there is no evidence that 
this world is made a place of punish- 
ment for fallen angels. % And deli' 
vered them into chains of darkness. 
" Where darkness lies like chains upon 
them." Rob. Lex. The meaning seems 
to be, that they are confined in that 
dark prison-house as if by chains. We 
aro not to suppose that spirits are lite* 



i D. 66.] 



CHAPTER II. 



273 



5 And spared not the old 
world, but saved Noah a the 
eighth person, a preacher of 
righteousness, bringing in the 

a Ge. 7. 1, &c. 

rally bound; but it was common to 
bind or fetter prisoners who were in 
dungeons, and the representation here 
is taken from that fact. This repre- 
sentation that the mass of fallen angels 
are confined in Tartarus, or in hell, is 
not inconsistent with the representa- 
tions which elsewhere occur that their 
leader is permitted to roam the earth, 
and that even many of those spirits are 
allowed to tempt men. It may be still 
true that the mass are confined within 
the limits of their dark abode, and it 
may even be true also that Satan and 
those who are permitted to roam the 
earth are under bondage, and are per- 
mitted to range only within certain 
bounds, and that they are so secured 
that they will he brought to trial at the 
last day. IT To be reserved unto judg- 
ment. Jude 6, ''to the judgment of 
the great day." They will then, with 
the revolted inhabitants of this -world, 
be brought to trial for their crimes. 
That the fallen angels will be punished 
after the judgment is apparent from 
Rev. xx. 10. The argument in this 
verse is, that if God punished the an- 
gels who revolted from him, it is a fair 
inference that he will punish wicked 
men, though they were once professors 
of religion. 

5. And spared not the old world. 
The world before the flood. The ar- 
gument here is, that he cut off that 
wicked race, and thus showed that he 
would punish the guilty. By that 
awful act of sweeping away the inha- 
bitants of a world, he showed that men 
could not sin with impunity, and that 
the incorrigibly wicked must perish. 
IT But saved Noah the eighth person. 
This reference to Noah, like the refer- 
ence to Lot, in ver. 7, seems to have 
been thrown in in the progress of the 



flood upon the world of the un- 
godly ; 

6 And turning the cities of 4 
Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, 

b Ge. 19. 24, 25. 

argument as an incidental remark, to 
show that the righteous, however few 
in number, would be saved when the 
wicked were cut off*. The phrase 
* Noah the eighth,' means, Noah, one 
of eight ; that is, Noah and seven others. 
This idiom is found, says Dr. Bloom- 
field, in the best writers from Herodo- 
tus and Thucydides downwards. See 
examples in Wetstein. The meaning 
in this place then is, that eight persons, 
and eight only of that race, were saved ; 
thus showing that, while the wicked 
would be punished, however numerous 
they might be, the righteous, however 
few, would be saved. IT A preacher 
of righteousness. In Gen. vi. 9, it is 
said of Noah that he was < a just man, 
and perfect in his generations, and that 
he walked with God and it may be 
presumed that during his long life he 
was faithful in reproving the wicked- 
ness of his age, and warned the world 
of the judgment that was preparing 
for it. Comp. Notes on Heb. xi. 7. 
*Tf Bringing in the flood upon the world 
of the ungodly. Upon all the world 
besides that pious family. The argu- 
ment here is, that if God would cut 
off a wicked race in this manner, the 
principle is settled that the wicked will 
not escape. 

6. And turning the cities of Sodom 
and Gomorrah into ashes. Gen. xix. 
24, 25. This is a third example to 
demonstrate that God will punish the 
wicked. Comp. Notes on Jude 7. 
The word here rendered 'turning into 
ashes' ^pcocras) , occurs nowhere else 
in the New Testament. It is from 
ifetypa (ashes), and means to reduce to 
ashes, and then to consume, or destroy. 
IT Condemned them with an overthrow* 
By the fact of their being overthrown, 
he showed that they were to be cow- 



274 



II. PETER. 



[A. D. 66. 



condemned them with an over- 
throw, making a them an ensam- 
ple unto those that after should 
live ungodly ; 

7 And delivered just Lot, b 

a De. 29. 23. 



demned, or that he disapproved their 
conduct. Their calamity came ex- 
pressly on account of their enormous 
sins ; as it is frequently the case now 
that the awful judgments that come 
upon the licentious and the intemper- 
ate, are as plain a proof of the divine 
disapprobation as were the calamities 
that came upon Sodom and Gomorrah. 
IT Making them an example, &c. That 
is, they were a demonstration that God 
disapproved of the crimes for which 
they were punished, and would disap- 
prove of the same crimes in every age 
and in every land. The punishment 
of one wicked man or people always 
becomes a warning to all others. 

7. And delivered just Lot. Gen. 
xix. 16. This case is incidentally re- 
ferred to, to show that God makes a 
distinction between the righteous and 
the wicked, and that while the latter 
will be destroyed, the former will be 
saved. See ver. 9. Lot is called just 
because he preserved himself unconta- 
minated amidst the surrounding wick- 
edness. As long as he lived in Sodom 
he maintained the character of an up- 
right and holy man. IT Vexed with 
the filthy conversation of the wicked. 
By the corrupt and licentious conduct 
of the wicked around him. On the 
word conversation, see Notes on Phil, 
i. 27. The original phrase, which is 
rendered filthy, has reference to licen- 
tiousness. The corruption of Sodom 
was open and shameless, and as Lot 
was compelled to see much of it, his 
heart was pained. The word here 
rendered vexed, means that he was 
wearied or burdened. The crimes of 
those around him he found it hard to 
bear with. 



vexed with the filthy conversa- 
tion of the wicked ; 

8 (For that righteous man 
dwelling among them, in seeing 
and hearing, vexed his righteous 

6 Ge. 19. 16. 



8. For that righteous man dwelling 
among them. The Latin Vulgate ren- 
ders this, < For in seeing and hearing 
he was just meaning that he main- 
tained his uprightness, or that he did 
not become contaminated by the vices 
of Sodom. Many expositors have 
supposed that this is the correct ren- 
dering; but the most natural, and 
the most common explanation is that 
which is found in our version. Ac- 
cording to that, the meaning is, that, 
compelled as he was, while living 
among them, to see and to hear what 
was going on, his soul was constantly 
troubled. IT In seeing and hearing. 
Seeing their open acts of depravity, 
and hearing their vile conversation 
The effect which this had on the mind 
of Lot is not mentioned in Genesis, but 
nothing is more probable than the state- 
ment here made by Peter. Whether this 
statement was founded on tradition, or 
whether it is a suggestion of inspiration 
to the mind of Peter, cannot be deter- 
mined. The words rendered seeing 
and hearing may refer to the act of 
seeing, or to the object seen. Wet- 
stein and Robinson suppose that they 
refer here to the latter, and that the 
sense is, that he was troubled by what 
he saw and heard. The meaning is 
not materially different. Those who 
live among the wicked are compelled 
to see and hear much that pains their 
hearts, and it is well if they do not 
become indifferent to it, or contami- 
nated by it. IT Vexed his righteous 
soul from day to day with their uw 
lawful deeds. Tortured or tormented 
his soul — sfiatsav&v- Comp. Matt, 
viii. 6, 29. Luke viii. 28. Rev. ix. 5 ; 
xi. 10; xiv. 10; xx. 10, where the 



A. D. 66.] 



CHAPTER II. 



275 



soul from day to day with their 
unlawful deeds :) 

9 The Lord knoweth how to a 

a Ps. 34. 15-18. b Jude 14, 15. 

same word is rendered tormented. The 
use of this word wouJd seem to imply 
that there was something active on the 
part of Lot which produced this dis- 
tress on account of their conduct. He 
was not merely troubled as if his soul 
were passively acted on, but there were 
strong mental exercises of a positive 
kind, arising perhaps from anxious so- 
licitude how he might prevent their 
evil conduct, or from painful reflections 
on the consequences of their deeds to 
themselves, or from earnest pleadings 
in their behalf before God, or from 
reproofs and warnings of the wicked. 
At all events, the language is such as 
would seem to indicate that he was 
not a mere passive observer of their 
conduct. This, it would seem, was 
4 from day to day that is, it was con- 
stant. There were doubtless reasons 
why Lot should remain among such a 
people, and why, when he might so 
easily have done it, he did not remove 
to another place. Perhaps it was one 
purpose of his remaining to endeavour 
to do them good, as it is often the duty 
of good men now to reside among the 
wicked for the same purpose. Lot is 
supposed to have resided in Sodom — 
then probably the most corrupt place 
on the earth — for sixteen years; and 
we have in that fact an instructive 
demonstration that a good man may 
maintain the life of religion in his soul 
when surrounded by the wicked, and 
an illustration of the effects which the 
conduct of the wicked will have on a 
man of true piety when he is compelled 
to witness it constantly. We may 
learn from the record made of Lot 
what those effects will be, and what is 
evidence that one is truly pious who 
lives among the wicked. (1.) He will 
not be contaminated with their wick- 
edness, or will not conform to their 



deliver the godly out of tempta 
tions, and to reserve b the unjust 
unto the day of judgment to be 
punished : 

evil customs. (2.) He will not become 
indifferent to it, but his heart will be 
more and more affected by their depra- 
vity. Comp. Ps. cxix. 136. Luke xix. 
41. Acts xvii. 16. (3.) He will have not 
only constant, but growing solicitude 
in regard to it — solicitude that will be 
felt every day : « He vexed his soul 
from day to day.' It will not only 
be at intervals (hat his mind will be 
affected by their conduct, but it will 
be an habitual and constant thing. 
True piety is not fitful, periodical, 
and spasmodic; it is constant and 
steady. It is not a jet that occasion- 
ally bursts out ; it is a fountain always 
flowing. (4.) He will seek to do them 
good. We may suppose that this was 
the case with Lot; we are certain that 
it is a characteristic of true religion to 
seek to do good to all, however wicked 
they may be. (5.) He will secure their 
confidence. He will practice no im- 
proper arts to do this, but it will be one 
of the usual results of a life of integ- 
rity, that a good man will secure the 
confidence of even the wicked. It 
does not appear that Lot lost that con- 
fidence, and the whole narrative in 
Genesis leads us to suppose that even 
the inhabitants of Sodom regarded him 
as a good man. The wicked may hate 
a good man because he is good ; but if 
a man lives as he should they will re- 
gard him as upright, and they will give 
him the credit of it when he dies, if 
they should withhold it while he lives. 

9. The Lord knoweth, &c. That 
is, the cases referred to show that God 
is able to deliver his people when 
tempted, and understands the best way 
in which it should he done* He sees 
a way to do it when we cannot, though 
it is often a way which we should not 
have thought of. He can send an 
angel to take his tempted people by 



276 



II. PETER, 



[A. I). 66 



10 But chiefly them ° that 
walk after the flesh in the lust 
of uncleanness, and despise 1 go 

a He. 13. 4. 1 or, dominion. b Jude 8, 10. 

the hand ; he can interpose and destroy 
the power of the tempter ; he can raise 
up earthly friends ; he can deliver his 
people completely and for ever from 
temptation, by their removal to heaven, 
if And to reserve the unjust* As he 
does the rebel angels, ver. 4. The 
case of the angels shows that God can 
keep wicked men, as if under bonds, 
reserved for their final trial at his bar. 
Though they seem to go at large, yet 
they are under his control, and are 
kept by him with reference to their 
ultimate arraignment. 

10. But chiejly. That is, it may 
be presumed that the principles just 
laid down would be applicable in an 
eminent degree to such persons as he 
proceeds to designate. % That walk 
after the flesh. That live for the in- 
dulgence of their carnal appetites. 
Notes, Rom. viii. 1. 1 In the lust of 
uncleanness. In polluted pleasures. 
Comp. Notes on ver. 2. 1T And des- 
pise government. Marg., dominion. 
That is, they regard all government in 
the state, the church, and the family, 
as an evil. Advocates for unbridled 
freedom of all sorts ; declaimers on 
liberty and on the evils of oppression ; 
defenders of what they regard as the 
rights of injured man; and yet secretly 
themselves lusting for the exercise of 
the very power which they would deny 
to others, they make no just distinctions 
about what constitutes true freedom, 
and in their zeal array themselves 
against government in all forms. No 
topic of declamation would be more 
popular than this, and from none would 
they hope to secure more followers ; 
for if they could succeed in removing 
all respect for the just restraints of law, 
the way would be open for the accom- 
plishment of their own purposes, in 
setting up a dominion over the minds 



vernment : presumptuous are 
they, self-willed; they are not 
afraid to speak evil of dignities. 6 
11 Whereas angels, which are 

of others. It is a common result of 
such views that men of this description 
become impatient of the government 
of God himself, and seek to throw of! 
all authority, and to live in the unre- 
strained indulgence of their vicious 
propensities. H Presumptuous are 
they. Tofyw^ai — daring, bold, auda- 
cious, presumptuous men. IT Self- 
willed — av$d&si$' See Notes on Titus 
i. 7. IT They are not afraid to speak 
evil of dignities. The word rendered 
dignities here (§ofa$), means properly 
honour, glory, splendour; then that 
which is fitted to inspire respect ; that 
which is dignified or exalted. It is 
applied here to men of exalted rank; 
and the meaning is, that they did not 
regard rank, or station, or office — thus 
violating one of the plainest rules of 
propriety and of religion. See Notes 
on Acts xxiii. 4, 5. Jude, between 
whose language and that of Peter in 
this chapter, there is a remarkable re- 
semblance, has expressed this more 
fully. He says (ver. 8), " These 
filthy dreamers defile the flesh, des- 
pise dominion, and speak evil of dig- 
nities." It is one of the effects of 
religion to produce respect for supe- 
riors ; but when men are self-willed, 
and when they purpose to give indul- 
gence to corrupt propensities, it is na- 
tural for them to dislike all government. 
Accordingly it is by no means an un- 
frequent effect of certain forms of error 
to lead men to speak disrespectfully of 
those in authority, and to attempt to 
throw off all the restraints of law. It 
is a very certain indication that men 
hold wrong opinions when they show 
disrespect to those in authority, and 
despise the restraints of law. 

11. Whe*-&v* wz;fils. The object, 
by the reference U> Angela here, is to 
show that they, even wrier* manifesting 



A. D. 66.] 



CHAPTER II. 



27? 



greater in power and might, bring 
:)ot railing accusation J against 
them before the Lord. 

12 But these, as natural brute 
beasts, made to be taken and 



the greatest zeal in a righteous cause, 
am even when opposing others, did 
not make use of reproachful terms, or 
of narsh and violent language. It is 
not known precisely to what Peter al- 
ludes here, nor on what the statement 
here is based. There can be little 
doubt, however, as Benson has re- 
marked, that from the strong resem- 
blance between what Peter says and 
what Jude says (Jude 9, 10), there is 
allusion to the same thing, and pro- 
bably both referred to some common 
tradition among the Jews respecting 
the contention of the archangel Michael 
with the devil about the body of Moses. 
See Notes on Jude 9. As the state- 
ment in Jude is the most full, it is pro- 
per to explain the passage before us by 
a reference to that, and we may suppose 
that, though Peter uses the plural term, 
and speaks of angels, yet that he really 
had the case of Michael in his eye, and 
meant to refer to that as an example 
of what the angels do. Whatever may 
have been the origin of this tradition, 
no one can doubt that what is here said 
of the angels accords with probability, 
and no one can prove that it is not true. 
IT Which are greater in power and 
might. And who might, therefore, if 
it were in any case proper, speak freely 
of things of an exalted rank and dig- 
nity. It would be more becoming for 
them than for men. On this difficult 
passage, see Notes on Jude 9. IT Bring 
not railing accusation. They simply 
?ay, <The Lord rebuke thee.' Jude 9. 
Oomp. Zech. iii. 2. The Greek here 
is, * bring not blasphemous or reproach- 
ful judgment, or condemnation (fluxes- 
^rjfiov xpbGw)* They abhor all scur- 
rility and violence of language ; they 
airnplv state matters as they are. No I 
24 



destroyed, speak evil of the 
things that they understand not ; 
and shall utterly perish in their 
own corruption ; 

i some read against themselves, a Jer. 12. 3. 



one can doubt that this accords with 
what we should expect of the angels; 
and that if they had occasion to speak 
of those who were opposers, it would 
be in a calm and serious manner, not 
seeking to overwhelm them by re- 
proaches. M Against them. Marg., 
against themselves. So the Vulgate. 
The more correct reading is against 
them ; that is, against those who might 
be regarded as their adversaries (Jude 
9), or those of their own rank who had 
done wrong — the fallen angels. 1 Be- 
fore the Lord. When standing before 
the Lord ; or when represented as re- 
porting the conduct of evil spirits. 
Comp. Zech. iii. 1, 2. This phrase, 
however, is wanting in many manu- 
scripts. See Wetstein. 

12. But these, as natural brute 
beasts. These persons, who resemble 
so much irrational animals which are 
made to be taken and destroyed. The 
point of the comparison is, that they 
are like fierce and savage beasts that 
exercise no control over their appetites, 
and that seem to be made only to be 
destroyed. These persons, by their 
fierce and ungovernable passions, ap- 
pear to be made only for destruction, 
and rush blindly on to it. The word 
rendered natural (which, however, is 
wanting in several manuscripts), means 
as they are by nature ; following the 
bent of their natural appetites and pas- 
sions. The idea is, that they exercised 
no more restraint over their passions 
than beasts do over their propensities. 
They were entirely under the domi- 
nion of their natural appetites, and did 
not allow their reason or conscience to 
exert any constraint. The word ren- 
dered brute, means without reason ; 
irrational. Man has reason, and should 



278 



II. PETER. 



[A. D. 66. 



13 And shall receive the re- 
ward of unrighteousness, as they 
"that count it pleasure to riot in 

a Ph. 3. 19. Jude 12, &c. 

allow it to control his passions ; the 
1 brutes have no rational nature, and it 
is to be expected that they will act out 
their propensities without restraint. 
Man, as an animal, has many passions 
and appetites resembling those of the 
brute creation, but he is also endowed 
with a higher nature, which is designed 
to regulate and control his inferior 
propensities, and to keep them in sub- 
ordination to the requirements of law. 
If a man sinks himself to the level of 
brutes, he must expect to be treated 
like brutes ; and as wild and savage 
animals, lions, and panthers, and wolves, 
and bears, are regarded as dangerous, 
and as 1 made to be taken and destroyed,' 
so the same destiny must come upon 
men who ma*ke themselves like them, 
f Made to be taken and destroyed. 
They are not only useless to society 
but destructive, and men feel that it is 
right to destroy them. We are not to 
suppose that this teaches that the only 
object which God had in view in 
making wild animals was that they 
might be destroyed, but that men so 
regard them. IT Speak evil of the 
things which they understand not. 
Of objects whose worth and value they 
cannot appreciate. This is no uncom- 
mon thing among men, especially in 
regard to the works and ways of God. 
IT And shall utterly perish in their own 
corruption. Their views will be the 
means of their ruin ; and they render 
them fit for it just as much as the fierce 
passions of the wild animals do. 

13. And shall receive the reward of 
unrighteousness. The appropriate re- 
compense of their wickedness in the 
future world. Such men do not always 
receive the due recompense of their 
deeds in the present life, and as it is a 
great and immutable principle that all 
will be treated, under the government 



the day-time. Spots they are 
and blemishes, sporting them- 
selves with their own deceivings, 
while they feast with you; 

of God, as they deserve, or that justice 
will be rendered to every rational being, 
it follows that there must be punish- 
ment in the future state. IF As they 
that count it pleasure to riot in the 
day-time. As men peculiarly wicked, 
shameless, and abandoned; for only 
such revel in open day. Comp. Notes 
on Acts ii. 15. 1 Thess. v. 7. 11 Spots 
they are and blemishes. That is, they 
are like* a dark spot on a pure garment, 
or like a deformity on an otherwise 
beautiful person. They are a scandal 
and disgrace to the Christian profes- 
sion. IT Sporting themselves. The 
Greek word here means to live deli- 
cately or luxuriously ; to revel. The 
idea is not exactly that of sporting, or 
playing, or amusing themselves ; but it 
is that they take advantage of their 
views to live in riot and luxury. Under 
the garb of the Christian profession 
they give indulgence to the most cor- 
rupt passions. IT With their own de- 
ceivings. Jude, in the parallel place 
(ver. 12) has, 4 These are spots in your 
feasts of charity, when they feast with 
you.' Several versions, and a few ma- 
nuscripts also, here read feasts instead 
of deceivings (dyartcuV for 
The common reading, however, is un- 
doubtedly the correct one (See Wetstein 
in loc), and the meaning is, that they 
took advantage of their false views to 
turn even the sacred feasts of charity, 
or perhaps the Lord's Supper itself, into 
an occasion of sensual indulgence. 
Comp. Notes on 1 Cor. xi. 20—22. 
The difference between these persons, 
and those in the church at Corinth, 
seems to have been that these did it of 
design, and for the purpose of leading 
others into sin ; those who were in the 
church at Corinth erred through igno- 
rance. IT While they feast with you. 
(6vv£vu%ovu£voi<') This word means to 



A. D. 66. J 



CHAPTER II. 



2*9 



14 Having eyes full of 1 adul- 
tery, and that cannot cease from 
sin ; beguiling unstable souls : 

1 an adulteress. 

feast several together ; to feast with any 
one ; and the reference seems to be to 
some festival which was celebrated by 
Christians, where men and women were 
assembled together (ver. 14), and where 
they could convert the festival into a 
scene of riot and disorder. If the 
Lord's Supper was celebrated by them 
as it was at Corinth, that would furnish 
such an occasion ; or if it was preceded 
by a « feast of charity' (Notes on Jude 
12) that would furnish such an occa- 
sion. It would seem to be probable 
that a festival of some kind was con- 
nected with the observance of the 
Lord's Supper (Notes on 1 Cor. xi. 
21), and that this was converted by 
these persons into a scene of riot and 
disorder. 

14. Having eyes full of adultery. 
Marg., as in the Greek, an adulteress • 
that is, gazing with desire after such 
persons. The word full is designed to 
denote that the corrupt passion referred 
to had wholly seized and occupied their 
minds. The eye was, as it were, full 
of this passion ; it saw nothing else 
but some occasion for its indulgence; 
it expressed nothing else but the desire. 
The reference here is to the sacred fes- 
tival mentioned in the previous verse ; 
and the meaning is, that they celebrated 
that festival with licentious feelings, 
giving free indulgence to their corrupt 
desires by gazing on the females who 
were assembled with them. In the 
passion here referred to the eye is usu- 
ally the first offender, the inlet to cor- 
rupt desires, and the medium by which 
they are expressed. Comp. Notes on 
Matt. v. 28. The wanton glance is a 
principal occasion of exciting the sin ; 
and there is much often in dress, and 
mien, and gesture, to charm the eye and 
to deepen the debasing passion. IT And 
that cannot cease from sin. They can- 



an heart they have exercised with 
covetous practices ; cursed chil- 
dren : 



not look on the females who may be 
present without sinning. Comp. Matt, 
v. 28. There are many men in whom 
the presence of the most virtuous wo- 
man only excites impure and corrupt 
desires. The expression here does not 
mean that they have no natural ability 
to cease from sin, or that they are im- 
pelled to it by any physical necessity, 
but only that they are so corrupt and 
unprincipled that they certainly will 
sin always. Beguiling unstable 
souls. Those who are not strong in 
Christian principle, or who are natur- 
ally fluctuating and irresolute. The 
word rendered beguiling means to bait, 
to entrap, and would be applicable to 
the methods practised in hunting. Here 
it means that it was one of their arts 
to place specious allurements before 
those who were known not to have 
settled principles or firmness, in order 
to allure them to sin. Comp. 2 Tim. 
iii. 6. IT An heart they have exercised 
with covetous practices. Skilled in the 
arts which covetous men adopt in order 
to cheat others out of their property. 
A leading purpose which influenced 
these men was to obtain money. One 
of the most certain ways for dishonest 
men to do this is to make use of the 
religious principle ; to corrupt and con- 
trol the conscience ; to make others 
believe that they are eminently holy, or 
that they are the special favourites of 
heaven, and when they can do this 
they have the purses of others at com- 
mand. For the religious principle is 
the most powerful of all principles ; 
and he who can control that can con- 
trol all that a man possesses. The 
idea here is, that these persons had 
made this their study, and had learned 
the ways in which men could be in- 
duced to part with their money under 
religious pretences. We should al- 



280 



II. PETER. 



|A.D. 6& 



15 Which have forsaken the 
right way, and are gone astray, 
following the way of Balaam a 

ways be on our guard when profess- 
edly religious teachers propose to have 
much to do with money matters. While 
we should always be ready to aid every 
good cause, yet we should remember 
that unprincipled and indolent men 
often assume the mask of religion that 
they may practice their arts on the 
credulity of others, and tha their real 
aim is to obtain their property, not to 
save their souls. IT Cursed children. 
This is a Hebraism, meaning literally, 
< children of the curse that is, per- 
sons devoted to the curse, or who will 
certainly be destroyed. 

15. Which have forsaken the right 
way. The straight path of honesty 
and integrity. Religion is often repre- 
sented as a straight path, and to do 
wrong is to go out of that path in a 
crooked way. IT Following the way 
of Balaam the son of Bosor. See Num. 
xxii. 5, seq. In the Book of Numbers 
Balaam is called the son of Beor. Per- 
haps the name Beor was corrupted into 
Bosor; or, as Rosenmuller suggests, 
the father of Balaam may have had 
two names. Scheusner (Lex.) sup- 
poses that it was changed by the Greeks 
because it was more easily pronounced. 
TheLXX, however, read it Bgwp {Beor). 
The meaning here is, that they imitated 
Balaam. The particular point to which 
Peter refers in which they imitated him, 
seems to have been the love of gain, or 
covetousness. Possibly, however, he 
might have designed to refer to a more 
general resemblance, for in fact they 
imitated him in the following things: 
(1.) In being professed religious teach- 
ers, or the servants of God ; (2.) in 
their covetousness ; (3.) in inducing < 
others to sin, referring to the same kind 
of sins in both cases. Balaam coun- 
selled the Moabites to entice the chil- 
dren of Israel to illicit connection with 
tbeir women, thus introducing licen- 



ce son of Bosor, who loved the 
wages of unrighteousness ; 

a Nu. 22. 5, &c. 

tiousness into the camp of the Hebrews 
(Num. xxxi. 16. Comp. Num. xxv. 1 
— 9), and in like manner these teachers 
led others into licentiousness, thus cor- 
rupting the church, f Who loved the 
tvages of unrighteousness. Who was 
supremely influenced by the love of 
gain, and was capable of being em- 
ployed, for a price, in a wicked design; 
thus prostituting his high office, as a 
professed prophet of the Most High, to 
base and ignoble ends. That Balaam, 
though he professed to be influenced 
by a supreme regard to the will of God 
(Num. xxii. 18, 38), was really influ 
enced by the desire of reward, and was 
willing to prostitute his great office to 
secure such a reward, there can be no 
doubt. (1.) The eiders of Moab and 
of Midian came to Balaam with ' the 
rewards of divination in their hand' 
(Num. xxii. 7), and with promises from 
Balak of promoting him to great 
honour, if he would curse the children 
of Israel. Num. xxii. 17. (2.) Balaam 
was disposed to go with them, and was 
restrained from going at once only by 
a direct and solemn prohibition from 
the Lord. Num. xxii. 11. (3.) Not- 
withstanding this solemn prohibition, 
and notwithstanding he said to the am- 
bassadors from Balak that he would do 
only as God directed, though Balak 
should give him his house full of silver 
and gold (Num. xxii. 18), yet he did 
not regard the matter as settled, but 
proposed to them that they should wait 
another night, with the hope that the 
Lord would give a more favourable 
direction in reference to their request, 
thus showing that his heart was in the 
service which they required, and that 
his inclination was to avail himself of 
their offer. Num. xxii. 19. (4.) When 
he did obtain permission to go, it was 
only to say that which the Lord should 
direct him to say (Num. xxii. 20), bu 



A.D. 66.] CHAPTER II. 

16 But was rebuked for his 
iniquity: the dumb ass, speak- 



281 



he went with a * perverse' heart, with a 
secret wish to comply with the desire 
of Balak, and with a knowledge that 
he was doing wrong (Num. xxii. 34), 
and was restrained from uttering the 
curse which Balak desired only by an 
influence from above which he could 
not control. Balaam was undoubtedly 
a wicked man, and was constrained by 
a power from on high to utter senti- 
ments which God meant should be ut- 
tered, but which Balaam would never 
have expressed of his own accord. 

16. But ivas rebuked for his ini- 
quity. The object of Peter in this 
seems to be to show that God em- 
ployed the very extraordinary means of 
causing the ass on which he rode to 
speak, because his iniquity was so mon- 
strous. The guilt of thus debasing 
his high office, and going forth to curse 
the people of God — a people who had 
done him no wrong, and given no occa- 
sion for his malediction — was so extra- 
ordinary, that means as extraordinary 
were proper to express it. If God em- 
ployed means so extraordinary to re- 
buke his depravity, it was to be ex- 
pected that in some appropriate way he 
would express his sense of the wicked- 
ness of those who resembled him. 
IT The dumb ass, speaking with man's 
voice. Num. xxii. 28. God seems to 
have designed that both Balaam and 
Balak should be convinced that the 
children of Israel were his people ; and 
so important was it that this conviction 
should rest fully on the minds of the 
nations through whom they passed, that 
he would not suffer even a pretended 
prophet to make use of his influence 
to curse them. He designed that all 
that influence should be in favour of 
the cause of truth, thus furnishing a 
striking instance of the use which he 
often makes of wicked men. To con- 
vince Balaam of the error of his course, 
24* 



ing with man's voice, forbad the 
madness of the prophet. 

17 These are wells without 



and to make him sensible that God was 
an observer of his conduct, and to in- 
duce him to utter only what he should 
direct, nothing would be better fitted 
than this miracle. The very animal 
on which he rode, dumb and naturally 
stupid, was made to utter a reproof; a 
reproof as directly from heaven as 
though the stones had cried out be- 
neath his feet, or the trees of the wood 
had uttered the language of remon- 
strance. As to the nature of the mira- 
cle here referred to, it may be remarked 
(1.) that it was as easy for God to per- 
form this miracle as any other ; and 
(2.) that it was a miracle that would 
be as likely to be effectual, and to an- 
swer the purpose, as any other. No 
man can show that it could not have 
occurred, and the occasion was one in 
which some decided rebuke, in language 
beyond that of conscience, was neces- 
sary. IF Forbad the madness of the 
prophet. That is, the mad or perverse 
design of the prophet. The word here 
rendered madness, means properly, 
being aside from a right mind. It is 
not found elsewhere in the New Tes- 
tament. It is used here to denote that 
Balaam was engaged in an enterprise 
which indicated a headstrong disposi- 
tion ; an acting contrary to reason and 
sober sense. He was so under the in- 
fluence of avarice and ambition that 
his sober sense was blinded, and he 
acted like a madman. He knew indeed 
what was right, and had professed a 
purpose to do what was right, but he 
did not allow that to control him, but, 
for the sake of gain, went against his 
own sober conviction, and against whai 
he knew to be the will of God. He 
was so mad or infatuated that he allowed 
neither reason, nor conscience, nor the 
will of God, to control him. 

17. These are wells without water 
Jude (12, 13) employs several othei 



282 II. PETER. (A. D. 66. 

water, clouds a that are carried mist of darkness is reserved for 
with a tempest; to whom the ever. 

aEp.4.i4. sps.73.8. 18 For when they speak 



epithets to describe the same class of 
persons. The language employed both 
by Peter and Jude is singularly terse, 
pointed, and emphatic. Nothing to an 
oriental mind would be more expressive 
than to say of professed religious teach- 
ers that they were < wells without 
water.' It was always a sad disap- 
pointment to a traveller in the hot 
sands of the desert to come to a well 
where it was expected that water might 
be found, and to find it dry. It only 
aggravated the trials of the thirsty and 
weary traveller. Such were these reli- 
gious teachers. In a world, not un- 
aptly compared, in regard to its real 
comforts, to the wastes and sands of 
the desert, they would only grievously 
disappoint the expectations of all those 
who were seeking for the refreshing 
influences of the truths of the gospel. 
There are many such teachers in the 
world. IT Clouds that are carried with 
a tempest. Clouds that are driven 
about by the wind, and that send down 
no rain upon the earth. They promise 
rain, only to be followed by disappoint- 
ment. Substantially the same idea is 
conveyed by this as by the previous 
phrase. " The Arabs compare persons 
who put on the appearance of virtue, 
when yet they are destitute of all good- 
ness, to a light cloud which makes a 
show of rain, and afterwards vanishes." 
Benson. The sense is this : — The 
cloud, as it rises, promises rain. The 
expectation of the farmer is excited 
that the thirsty earth is to be refreshed 
with needful showers. Instead of this, 
however, the wind < gets into' the cloud ; 
it is driven about and no rain falls ; or 
it ends in a destructive tornado which 
sweeps every thing before it. So of 
these religious teachers. Instruction 
in regard to the way of salvation was 
expected from them, but instead of that 
they disappointed the expectations of 



those who were desirous of knowing 
the way of life, and their doctrines only 
tended to destroy. IT To xvhom the 
mist of darkness is reserved for ever. 
The word rendered mist here (£q<J>o$) 
means properly muskiness, thick gloom, 
darkness (See ver. 4) ; and the phrase 
< mist of darkness' is designed to denote 
intense darkness, or the thickest dark- 
ness. It refers undoubtedly to the 
place of future punishment, which is 
often represented as a place of intense 
darkness. See Notes on Matt. viii. 12. 
When it is said that this is reserved 
for them, it means that it is prepared 
for them, or is kept in a state of readi- 
ness to receive them. It is like a jail 
or penitentiary which is built in antici- 
pation that there will be criminals, and 
with the expectation that there will be 
use for it. So God has constructed the 
great prison-house of the universe, the 
world where the wicked are to dwell, 
with the knowledge that there would 
be occasion for it ; and so he keeps it 
from age to age that it may be ready to 
receive the wicked when the sentence 
of condemnation shall be passed upon 
them. Comp. Matt. xxv. 41. The 
word for ever is a word which denotes 
properly eternity altova), and is 
such a word as could not have been 
used if it had been meant that they 
would not suffer for ever. Comp. Notes 
Matt. xxv. 46. 

18. For when they speak great 
swelling words of vanity. When they 
make great pretensions to wisdom and 
learning, or seem to attach great im- 
portance to what they say, and urge it 
in a pompous and positive manner. 
Truth is simple, and delights in simple 
statements. It expects to make its way 
by its own intrinsic force, and is willing 
to pass for what it is worth. Error is 
noisy and declamatory, and hopes to 
succeed by substituting sound for sense. 



A. D. 66. J CHAPTER IL 283 

great swelling words of vanity, escaped from them who live in 
they allure through the lusts of error. 

the flesh, through much wan- 19 While they promise them 

tOIiness, those that were 1 Clean i or, for a little while, as some read. 



and by such tones and arts as shall in- 
duce men to believe that what is said is 
true, when it is known by the speaker 
to be false. % They allure through the 
lusts of the flesh. The same word is 
used here which in ver. 14 is rendered 
beguiling, and in James i. 14, enticed. 
It does not elsewhere occur in the New 
Testament. It means that they make 
use of deceitful arts to allure, ensnare, 
or beguile others. The means which 
it is here said they employed, were the 
lusts of the flesh ; that is, they pro- 
mised unlimited indulgence to the car- 
nal appetites, or taught such doctrines 
that their followers would feel them- 
selves free to give unrestrained liberty to 
such propensities. This has been quite 
a common method in the world, of in- 
ducing men to embrace false doctrines. 
IT Through much wantonness. See 
Notes on 2 Tim. iii. 6. The meaning 
here is, that they made use of every 
variety of lascivious arts to beguile 
others under religious pretences. This 
has been often done in the world, for 
religion has been abused to give se- 
ducers access to the confidence of the 
innocent only that they might betray 
and ruin them. It is right that for all 
such the < mist of darkness should be 
reserved for ever;' and if there were 
not a place of punishment prepared for 
such men, there would be defect in the 
moral administration of the universe. 
IT Those that were clean escaped from 
them who live in error. Marg., for a 
little while. The difference between 
the margin and the text here arises 
from a difference of reading in the 
Greek. Most of the later editions of 
the Greek Testament coincide with the 
reading in the margin (6xiyco{) meaning 
little, but a little, scarcely. This 
accords better with the scope of the 
passage, and according to this it means 



that they had almost escaped from the 
snares and influences of those who live 
in error and sin. They had begun to 
think of their ways ; they had broken 
off many of their evil habits, and there 
was hope that they would be entirely 
reformed, and would become decided 
Christians, but they were allured again 
to the sins in which they had so long 
indulged. This seems to me to accord 
with the design of the passage, and it 
certainly accords with what frequently 
occurs, that those who are addicted to 
habits of vice become apparently in- 
terested in religion, and abandon many 
of their evil practices, but are again 
allured by the seductive influences of 
sin, and relapse into their former habits. 
In the case referred to here it was by 
professedly religious teachers, and is 
this never done now] Are there none, 
for example, who have been addicted to 
habits of intemperance, who had been 
almost refer. ned, but who are led back 
again by the influence of religious 
teachers'? Not directly and openly, 
indeed, would they lead them into 
habits of intemperance. But, when 
their reformation is begun, its success 
and its completion depends on total 
abstinence from all that intoxicates. In 
this condition, nothing more is neces- 
sary to secure their entire reformation 
and safety than mere abstinence ; and 
nothing more may be necessary to lead 
them into their former practices than 
the example of others who indulge in 
moderate drinking, or than the doctrine 
inculcated by a religious teacher that 
such moderate drinking is not contrary 
to the spirit of the Bible. 

1 9. While they promise them liberty. 
True religion always promises and pro- 
duces liberty (See Notes on John viii. 
36), but the particular liberty which 
these persons seem to have promised 



284 



II. PETER. 



| A. D. 66. 



liberty, they themselves are the 
servants of corruption : for a of 
whom a man is overcome, of the 
same is he brought in bondage. 

20 For if after they have es- 
caped the pollutions of the world, 
through the knowledge of the 

a Jno. 8. 34. Ro. 6. 16. 
b Lu. 11. 26. He. 6. 4, &c. ; 10. 26, 27. 

was freedom from what they regarded 
as needless restraint, or from strict and 
narrow views of religion. ^ They 
themselves are the servants of corrup- 
tion. They are the slaves of gross 
and corrupt passions, themselves utter 
strangers to freedom, and hound in the 
chains of servitude. These passions 
and appetites have obtained the entire 
mastery over them, and brought them 
into the severest bondage. This is 
often the case with those who deride 
the restraints of serious piety. They 
are themselves the slaves of appetite, 
or cf the rules of fashionable life, or 
of the laws of honour, or of vicious 
indulgences. « He is a freeman whom 
the truth makes free, and all are .slaves 
besides." Comp. Notes on 2 Cor. iii. 
3 7. IT For of whom a man is over- 
come, &c. Or rather « by what (&) any 
one is overcome \ that is, whatever gets 
the mastery of him, whether it be ava- 
rice, or sensifality, or pride, or any 
form of error. See Notes on Rom. vi. 
16, where this sentiment is explained. 

20. For if after they have escaped 
the pollutions of the world. This does 
not necessarily mean that they had 
been true Christians, and had fallen 
from grace. Men may outwardly re- 
form, and escape from the open corrup- 
tions which prevail around them, or 
which they had themselves practiced, 
and still have no true grace at heart. 
If Through the knowledge of our Lord 
and. Saviour Jesus Christ Neither 
does this imply that they were true 
Christians, or that they had ever had 
any saving knowledge of the Redeemer. 



Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 
they are again b entangled there- 
in and overcome, the latter end 
is worse with them than the be- 
ginning. 

21 For it had been better c for 
them not to have known the way* 

c Mat. 11. 23, 24. Lu. 12. 47, 48. 
d Pr. 12. 28. 



There is a knowledge of the doctrines 
and duties of religion which may lead 
sinners to abandon their outward vices, 
which has no connection with saving 
grace. They may profess religion, and 
may know enough of religion to under- 
stand that it requires them to abandon 
their vicious habits, and still never be 
true Christians. IT They are again 
entangled therein and overcome. The 
word rendered entangled (tfiiO&xui) — 
from which is derived our word impli- 
cate — means to braid in, to interweave ; 
then to involve in, to entangle. It 
means here that they become impli- 
cated in those vices like an animal that 
is entangled in a net. IT The latter 
end is worse with them than the begin- 
ning. This is usually the case. Apos- 
tates become worse than they were be- 
fore their professed conversion. Re- 
formed drunkards, if they go back to 
their 4 cups' again, become more aban- 
doned than ever. Thus it is with those 
who have been addicted to any habits 
of vice, and who profess to become re- 
ligious, and then fall away. The rea 
sons of this may be, (1.) That they are 
willing now to show to others that they 
are no longer under the restraints by 
which they had professedly bound 
themselves ; (2.) That God gives them 
up to indulgence with fewer restraints 
than formerly ; and (3.) Their old 
companions in sin may be at special 
pains to court their society, and to lead 
them into temptation, in order to ob- 
tain a triumph over virtue and religion. 

21. For it would have been better 
for them, &c Comp. Notes on MatU 



A. B. 66.] 



CHAPTER II. 



285 



of righteousness, than, after they 
have known it, to turn from the 
holy commandment delivered 
unto them. 

22 But it is happened unto 



xxvi. 24. It would have been better 
for them, for (1.) Then they would 
not have dishonoured the cause of reli- 
gion as they have now done ; (2.) They 
would not have sunk so deep in profli- 
gacy as they now have ; and (3.) They 
would not have incurred so aggravated 
a condemnation in the world of wo. 
If men are resolved on being wicked, 
they had better never pretend to be 
good. If they are to be cast off at last, 
it had better not be as apostates from 
the cause of virtue and religion. 

22. But it has happened unto them 
according to the true proverb. The 
meaning of the proverbs here quoted 
is, that they have returned to their for- 
mer vile manner of life. Under all the 
appearances of reformation, still their 
evil nature remained, as really as that 
of the dog or the swine, and that- na- 
ture finally prevailed. There was no 
thorough internal change, any more than 
there is in the swine when it is washed, 
or in the dog. This passage, there- 
fore, would seem to demonstrate that 
there never had been any real change 
of heart, and of course there had been 
no falling away from true religion. It 
should not, therefore, be quoted to 
prove that true Christians may fall from 
grace and perish. The dog and the 
swine had never been any thing else 
than the dog and the swine, and these 
persons had never been any thing else 
than sinners. IT The dog is turned to 
his own vomit again. That is, to eat 
it up. The passage would seem to 
imply that whatever pains should be 
taken to change the habits of the dog, 
he would return to them again. The 
quotation here is from Prov. xxvi. il : 
"As a dog returneth to his vom't so a 



them according to the true pro- 
verb, a The dog is turned to his 
own vomit again ; and, The sow 
that was washed, to her wallow- 
ing in the mire. 

a Pr. 28. 11. 



fool returneth to his folly." A siroilai 
proverb is found in the Rabbinical 
writers. Of the truth of the disgusting 
fact here affirmed of the dog, there can 
be no doubt. Phaedrus (Fab. 27) 
states a fact still more offensive respect- 
ing its habits. In the view of the Ori- 
entals, the dog was reckoned among 
the most vile and disgusting of all ani- 
mals. Comp. Deut. xxiii. 18. 1 Sam. 
xvii. 43. 2 Sam. iii. 8 ; ix. 8 ; xvi. 9. 
Matt. vii. 6. Phil. iii. 2. See also Ho- 
race, 1 Epis. 2. 26. 

Vixisset canis impurus, 
Vel arnica luto sus. 

On the use of this proverb, see Wet- 
stein, in loc. IT And, The sow that was 
washed, &c. This proverb is not found 
in the Old Testament, but it was com- 
mon in the Rabbinical writings, and is 
found in the Greek classics. See Wet- 
stein, z/2 loc. Its meaning is plain, and 
of the truth of what is affirmed no one 
can have any doubt. No matter how 
clean theswine is made by washing, this 
would not prevent it, in the slightest 
degree, from rolling in filth again. It 
will act out its real nature. So it is 
with the sinner. No external reforma- 
tion will certainly prevent his returning 
to his former habits, and when he does 
return, we can only say that he is act-, 
ing according to his real nature — a 
nature which has never been changed 
any more than the nature of the dog 
or the swine. On the characteristics 
of the persons referred to in this chap 
ter (vs. 9 — 19), see the Introduction, 
§3. 

This passage is often quoted to prove 
" the possibility of falling from grace, 
and from a very high degree of it too." 



288 



II PETER. 



[A. D. 66. 



But it is one of the last passages in the 
Bible that should be adduced to prove 
that doctrine. The true point of this pas- 
sage is to show that the persons referred 
to never were changed ; that whatever 
external reformation might have occur- 
red, their nature remained the same; 
and that when they apostatized from 
their outward profession, they merely 
acted out their nature, and showed that 
in fact there had been no real change. 
This passage will prove — what there 
are abundant facts to confirm — that 
persons may reform externally, and 
then return again to their former cor- 
rupt habits ; it can never be made to 
prove that one true Christian will fall 
away and perish. It will also prove 
that we should rely on no mere exter- 
nal reformation, no outward cleansing, 
ascertain evidence of piety. Thousands 
who have been externally reformed 
have ultimately shown that they had 
no religion, and there is nothing in 
mere outward reformation that can fit 
us for heaven. God looks upon the 
heart ; and it is only the religion that 
has its seat there, that can secure our 
final salvation. 

CHAPTER III. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

The principal design of this chapter 
is to demonstrate, in opposition to the 
objections of scoffers, that the Lord Je- 
sus will return again to this world ; 
that the world will be destroyed by fire, 
and that there will be a new heaven 
and a new earth ; and to show what 
effect this should have on the minds of 
Christians. The chapter, without any 
very exact arrangement by the author, 
essentially consists of three parts. 

I. The argument of the objectors to 
the doctrine that the Lord Jesus will 
return to the world, and that it will be 
destroyed, vs. 1 — 4. In doing this, 
the apostle (vs. 1, 2) calls their atten- 
tion to the importance of attending di- 
ligently to the things which had been 
spoken by the prophets, and to the 



commands of the apostles, reminding 
them that it was to be expected that in 
the last days there would be scoffers 
who would deride the doctrines of reli- 
gion, and who would maintain that 
there was no evidence that what had 
been predicted would be fulfilled, ver. 3. 
He then (ver. 4) adverts to the argu- 
ment on which they professed to rely, 
that there were no signs or indications 
that those events were to take place ; 
that there were no natural causes in 
operation which could lead to such re- 
sults ; and that the fact of the stability 
of the earth since the time of the cre- 
ation, demonstrated that the predicted 
destruction of the world could not 
occur. 

II. The argument of Peter in reply 
to this objection : a strong affirmation 
of the truth of the doctrine that the 
Lord Jesus will return ; that the earth 
and all which it contains will be burned 
up ; that there will be a new heaven 
and a new earth ; and the effect which 
the prospect of the coming of the Lord 
Jesus, and of the destruction of the 
world by fire, should have on the minda 
of Christians, vs. 5 — 18. 

(1.) The arguments of Peter in reply 
to the objection from the long-continued 
stability of the earth, are the follow- 
ing : («) He refers to the destruction 
of the old world *by the flood — a fact 
against which the same objections 
could have been urged, beforehand, 
which are urged against the predicted 
destruction of the world by fire. vs. 5 
— 7. With just as much plausibility 
it might have been urged then that the 
earth had stood for thousands of years, 
and that there were no natural causes 
at work to produce that change. It 
might have been asked where the im- 
mense amount of water necessary to 
drown a world could come from; and 
perhaps it might have been argued that 
God was too good to destroy a world 
by a flood. Every objection which 
could be urged to the destruction of 
the world by fire, could have been 



A. D. cJ6,] 



CHAPTER III. 



287 



CHAPTER III. 
r PHlS second epistle, beloved, 
A- I now write unto you ; in 

urged to its destruction by water; and 
as, in fact, those objections, as the event 
showed, would have had no real force, 
so they should be regarded as having 
no real force now. (&) No argument 
against this predicted event can be de- 
rived from the fact that hundreds and 
thousands of years are suffered to elapse 
before the fulfilment of the predictions, 
vs. 8, 9. What seems long to men is not 
long to God. A thousand years with 
him, in reference to this point, are as 
one day. He does not measure time as 
men do. They soon die ; and if they 
cannot execute their purpose in a brief 
period, they cannot at all. But this 
cannot apply to God. He has infinite 
ages in which to execute his purposes, 
and therefore no argument can be de- 
rived from the fact that his purposes 
are long delayed, to prove that he will 
not execute them at all. (c) Peter says 
(vs. 15, seq.) that the delay which was 
observed in executing the plans of God 
should not be interpreted as a proof 
that they would never be accomplished, 
but as an evidence of his long-sufTering 
and patience ; and in illustration of this, 
he refers to the writings of Paul, in 
which he says that the same sentiments 
were advanced. There were, indeed, 
he says, in those writings some things 
which were hard to be understood ; but 
on this point they were plain. 

(2.) A strong affirmation of the truth 
of the doctrine, vs. 9, 10, 13. He de- 
clares that these events will certainly 
occur, and that they should be expected 
to take place suddenly, and without any 
pre-intimations of their approach — -as 
the thief comes at night without an- 
nouncing his coming. 

(3.) The practical suggestions which 
Peter intersperses in the argument illus- 
trative of the effect which these consi- 
derations should have on the mind, are 
among the most important parts of the 



both which I stir up your pure 
minds by way of remembrance 

chapter: (1.) We should be holy, de- 
vout, and serious, ver. 11. (2.) Wo 
should look forward with deep interest to 
the new heavens and earth which are to 
succeed the present, ver. 12. (3.) We 
should be diligent and watchful, that 
we may be found on the return of the 
Saviour ( without spot and blameless.' 
ver. 14. (4.) We should be cautious 
that we be not seduced and led away 
by the errors which deny these great 
doctrines (ver. 17) ; and (5.) We 
should grow in grace, and in the 
knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
ver. 18. 

1. This second epistle, beloved, 1 
now write unto you. This expression 
proves that he had written a former 
epistle, and that it was addressed to 
the same persons as this. Comp. In- 
tro., § 3. IT In both which 1 stir up 
your pure minds, &c. That is, the 
main object of both epistles is the same 
— to call to your remembrance import- 
ant truths which you have before heard, 
but which you are in danger of forges, 
ting, or from which you are in danger 
of being turned away by prevailing er- 
rors. Comp. Notes on ch. i. 12 — 15. 
The word rendered pure (sluxpiv^) 
occurs only here and in Phil. i. 10, 
where it is rendered sincere. The 
word properly refers to that which may 
be judged of in sunshine; then it 
means clear, manifest ; and then sin- 
cere, pure — as that in which there is 
no obscurity. The idea here, perhaps, 
is, that their minds were open, frank, 
candid, sincere, rather than that they 
were pure. The apostle regarded them 
as disposed to see the truth, and yet as 
liable to be led astray by the plausible 
errors of others. Such minds need to 
have truths often brought fresh to their 
remembrance, though they are truths 
with which they had before been fa mi* 
liar. 



288 



II. PETER. 



[A. D. 66. 



2 That ° ye may be mindful 
of the words which were spoken 
before 1 by the holy prophets, and 
of the commandment of us the 
apostles of the Lord and Saviour : 



2. That ye may be mindful of the 
words. Of the doctrines ; the truths ; 
the prophetic statements. Jude (ver. 
18) says that it had been foretold by 
the apostles, that in the last days there 
would be scoffers. Peter refers to the 
instructions of the apostles and prophets 
in general, though evidently designing 
that his remarks should bear particu- 
larly on the fact that there would be 
proffers. IT Which were spoken before 
by the holy prophets. The predictions 
of the prophets before the advent of the 
Saviour, respecting his character and 
work. Peter had before appealed to 
them (ch. i. 19 — 21), as furnishing 
important evidence in regard to the 
truth of the Christian religion, and va- 
luable instructor in reference to its 
nature. See Notes on that passage. 
Many of the most important doctrines 
respecting the kingdom of the Messiah 
are stated as clearly in the Old Testa- 
ment as in the New (comp. Isa. liii.), 
and the prophecies therefore deserve to 
be studied as an important part of di- 
vine revelation. It should be added 
here, however, that when Peter wrote 
there was this special reason why he 
referred to the prophets, that the canon 
of the New Testament was not then 
completed, and he could not make his 
appeal to that. To some parts of the 
writings of Paul he could and did ap- 
peal (vs. 15, 16), but probably a very 
small part of what is now the New 
Testament was known to those to whom 
this epistle was addressed. IT And of 
the commandment of us the apostles 
of the Lord and Saviour. As being 
equally entitled with the prophets to 
state and enforce the doctrines and du- 
ties of religion. It may be observed, 
that no man would have used this lan- 



3 Knowing this first, that there 
shall come in the last days scoff- 
ers, c walking after their own 
lusts, 

a Jude 17, 18. b 1 Ti. 4. 1. 2 Ti. 3. 1 
c Is. 5. 19. 

guage who did not regard himself and 
his fellow-apostles as inspired, and as 
on a level with the prophets. 

3. Knowing this first. As among 
the first and most important things to 
be attended to — as one of the predic- 
tions which demand your special re- 
gard. Jude (ver. 18) says that the 
fact that there would be « mockers in 
the last time/ had been particularly 
foretold by them. It is probable that 
Peter refers to the same thing, and we 
may suppose that this was so well un- 
derstood by all the apostles that they 
made it a common subject of preach- 
ing. IT That there shall come in the 
last days. In the last dispensation ; 
in the period during which the affairs 
of the world shall be wound up. The 
apostle does not say that that was the 
last time in the sense that the world 
was about to come to an end ; nor is it 
implied that the period called 4 the last 
day' might not be a very long period, 
longer in fact than either of the previ- 
ous periods of the world. He says 
that during that period it had been 
predicted there would arise those whom 
he here calls scoffers. On the meaning 
of the phrase 4 in the last days/ as used 
in the Scriptures, see Notes on Acts ii 
17. Heb. i. 2. Isa. ii. 2. IT Scoffers 
In Jude (ver. 18) the same Greek word 
is rendered mockers. The word means 
those who deride, reproach, ridicule. 
There is usually in the word the idea 
of contempt or malignity towards an 
object. Here the sense seems to be 
that they would treat with derision or 
contempt the predictions respecting the 
advent of the Saviour, and the end of 
the world. It would appear probable 
that there was a particular or definite 
class of men referred to ; a class who 



A. D. 66.] CHAPTER III. 289 

4 And saying, Where a is the the fathers fell asleep, all things 
promise of his coming I for since continue as they were from the 
a Je. 17. 15. Eze. 12. 22-27. Mat. 24. 48. beginning of the creation. 



would hold peculiar opinions, and who 
would urge plausible objections against 
the fulfilment of the predictions re- 
specting the end of the world, and the 
second coming of the Saviour — for those 
are the points to which Peter particu- 
larly refers. It scarcely required in- 
spiration to foresee that there would be 
scoffers in the general sense of the 
term — for they have so abounded in 
every age that no one would hazard 
much in saying that they would be 
found at any particular time; but the 
eye of the apostle is evidently on a 
particular class of men, the special form 
of whose reproaches would be the ridi- 
cule of the doctrines that the Lord Je- 
sus would return ; that there would be 
a day of judgment; that the world 
would be consumed by fire, &c. Arch- 
bishop Tillotson explains this of the 
Carpocratians, a large sect of the Gnos- 
tics, who denied the resurrection of the 
dead, and the future judgment. 1 Walk- 
ing after their own lusts. Living in 
the free indulgence of their sensual ap- 
petites. See Notes on ch. ii. 10, 12, 
14, 18, 19. 

4. And saying, Where is the pro- 
mise of his coming ? That is, either, 
Where is the fulfilment of that pro- 
mise; or, Where are the indications 
or signs that he will cornel They 
evidently meant to imply that the pro- 
mise had utterly failed ; that there was 
not the slightest evidence that it would 
be accomplished ; that they who had 
believed this were entirely deluded. It 
is possible that some of the early Chris- 
tians, even in the time of the apostles, 
had undertaken to fix the time when 
these events would occur, as many 
have done since, and that as that time 
had passed by they inferred that the 
prediction had utterly failed. But 
whether this were so or not, it was 
25 



easy to allege that the predictions re- 
specting the second coming of the Sa- 
viour seemed to imply that the end of 
the world was near, and that there 
were no indications that they would be 
fulfilled. The laws of nature were 
uniform as they had always been, and 
the alleged promises had failed. IT For 
since the fathers fell asleep. Since 
they died — death being often, in the 
Scriptures, as elsewhere, represented 
as sleep. Notes on John xi, 11. 1 Cor. 
xi. 30. This reference to the*' fathers,' 
by such scoffers, was probably designed 
to be ironical and contemptuous. Per- 
haps the meaning may be thus ex- 
pressed . « Those old men, the prophets, 
indeed foretold this event. They were 
much concerned and troubled about it; 
and their predictions alarmed others, 
and filled their bosoms with dread. 
They looked out for the signs of the 
end of the world, and expected that 
that day was drawing near. But those 
good men have died. They lived to 
old age, and then died as others ; and 
since they have departed, the affairs of 
the world have gone on very much as 
they did before. The earth is suffered 
to have rest, and the laws of nature 
operate in the same way that they al- 
ways did.' It seems not improbable 
that the immediate reference in the 
word fathers is not to the prophets of 
former times, but to aged and pious 
men of the times of the apostles, who 
had dwelt much on this subject, and 
who had made it a subject of conversa- 
tion and of preaching. Those old 
men, said the scoffing objector, have 
died like others, and, notwithstanding 
their confident predictions, things now 
move on as they did from the begin- 
ning. IT All things continue as they 
were from the beginning of the cre- 
ation That is, the laws of nature are 



290 



II. PETER. 



[A. D. 6& 



5 For this they willingly are 
ignorant of, that a by the word 
of God the heavens were of old, 

fixed and settled. The argument here 
— for it was doubtless designed to be 
an argument — is based on the stability 
of the laws of nature, and the uniformity 
of the course of events. Thus far all 
these predictions had failed. Things 
continued to go on as they had always 
done. The sun rose and set ; the tides 
ebbed and flowed ; the seasons followed 
each other in the usual order ; one 
generation succeeded another, as had 
always been the case ; and there was 
every indication that those laws would 
continue fo operate as they had always 
done. This argument for the stability 
of the earth, and against the prospect 
of the fulfilment of the predictions of 
the Bible, would have more force with 
many minds now than it had then, for 
eighteen hundred years more have 
rolled away, and the laws ot nature 
remain the same. Meantime, the ex- 
pectations of those who have believed 
that the world was coming to an end 
have been disappointed; the time set 
for this by many interpreters of Scrip- 
ture has passed by ; men have looked 
out in vain for the coming of the Sa- 
viour, and sublunary affairs move on 
as they always have done. Still, there 
are no indications of the coming of the 
Saviour ; and perhaps it would be said 
that the farther men search, by the aid 
of science, into the laws of nature, the 
more they become impressed with their 
stability, and the more firmly they are 
convinced of the improbability that the 
world" will be destroyed in the manner 
in which it is predicted in the Scrip- 
tures that it will be. The specious 
and plausible objection arising from 
this source, the apostle proposes to meet 
in the following verses. 

5. For this they willingly are ig- 
norant of* Aav^dvst ydp a*rtov$ Tfovto 
§*%jowta$* There is some considerable 
variety in the translation of this pas- 



and the earth 1 standing out of 
the water b and in the water ; 

a Ge. 1. 6, 9. i consisting. b Ps. 24. 2. 

sage. In our common version the 
Greek word (£s%ovta$) is rendered aa 
if it were an adverb, or as if it referred 
to their ignorance in regard to the 
event, meaning, that while they might 
have known this fact, they took no 
pains to do it, or that they preferred to 
have its recollection far from their minds. 
So Beza and Luther render it. Others, 
however, take it as referring to what 
follows, meaning, * being so minded ; 
being of that opinion ; or affirming.' 
So Bloomfield, Robinson (Lex.), Mede, 
Rosenmiiller, &c. According to this 
interpretation the sense is, < They who 
thus will or think ; that is, they who 
hold the opinion that all things will 
continue to remain as they were, are 
ignorant of this fact that things have 
not always thus remained ; that there 
has been a destruction of the world 
once by water.' The Greek seems 
rather to demand this interpretation, 
and then the sense of the passage will 
be, < It is concealed or hidden from 
those who hold this opinion, that the 
earth has been once destroyed.' It is 
implied, whichever interpretation is 
adopted, that the will was concerned in 
it; that they were influenced by that 
rather than by sober judgment and by 
reason ; and whether the word refers 
to their ignorance, or to their holding 
that opinion, there was obstinacy and 
perverseness about it. The will has 
usually more to do in the denial and re- 
jection of the doctrines of the Bible than 
the understanding has. The argument 
which the apostle appeals to in reply to 
this objection is a simple one. The ad- 
versaries of the doctrine affirmed that the 
laws of nature had always remained 
the same, and they affirmed that they 
always would. The apostle denies the 
fact which they assumed, in the sense 
in which they affirmed it, and main- 
tains that those laws have not been m 



A. D. 66.] 



CHAPTER 111. 



291 



6 Whereby the world that 

flGe.7. 11. 

stable and uniform that the world has 
never been destroyed by an overwhelm- 
ing visitation from God. It has been 
destroyed by a flood ; it may be again 
by fire. There was the same improba- 
bility that the event would occur, so far 
as the argument from the stability of 
the laws of nature is concerned, in 
the one case that there is in the other, 
and consequently the objection is of no 
force. IT That by the word of God. 
By the command of God. < He spake, 
and it was done.' Comp. Gen. i. 6, 9. 
Ps. xxxiii. 9. The idea here is, that 
every thing depends on his word or 
will. As the heavens and the earth 
were originally made by his command, 
so by the same command they can be 
destroyed. Tf The heavens were of old. 
The heavens were formerly made. Gen. 
i. 1. The word heaven in the Scrip- 
tures sometimes refers to the atmos- 
phere, sometimes to the starry worlds 
as they appear above us, and sometimes 
to the exalted place where God dwells. 
Here it is used, doubtless, in the popu- 
lar signification, as denoting the heavens 
as they appear, embracing the sun, 
moon, and stars. IT And the earth, 
standing out of the water, and in the 
water, Marg., consisting. Gr., awect- 
•TQflfa. The Greek word, when used in 
an intransitive sense, means to stand 
with, or together; then tropically, to 
place together, to constitute, place, 
bring into existence. Robinson. The 
idea which our translators seem to have 
had is, that, in the formation of the 
earth, a part was out of the water, and 
a part under the water, and that the 
former, or the inhabited portion, be- 
came entirely submerged, and that thus 
the inhabitants perished. This was 
not, however, probably the idea of 
Peter. He doubtless has reference to 
the account given in Gen. i. of the 
creation of the earth, in which water 
performed so important a part. The 



then was, being ovei flowed with 
water, a perished : 

thought in his mind seems to have been, 
that water entered materially into the 
formation of the earth, and that in its 
very origin there existed the means by 
which it was afterwards destroyed. 
The word which is rendered 'standing 1 
should rather be rendered consisting of, 
or constituted of; and the meaning is, 
that the creation of the earth was the 
result of the divine agency acting on 
the mass of elements which in Genesis 
is called waters. Gen. 1, 2, 6, 7, 9. 
There was at first a vast fluid, an im- 
mense unformed collection of materials, 
called vjaters, and from that the earth 
arose. The point of time, therefore, 
in which Peter looks at the earth here 
is not when the mountains, and conti- 
nents, and islands, seem to be standing 
partly out of the water and partly in 
the water, but when there was a vast 
mass of materials called waters from 
which the earth was formed. The 
phrase * out of the water 7 (|| v8a?o$) 
refers to the origin of the earth. It 
was formed from, or out of, that mass* 
The phrase < in the water 1 (§t vSaifoi) 
more properly means through or by 
It does not mean that the earth stood 
in the water in the sense that it wa& 
partly submerged; but it means not 
only that the earth arose from than 
mass that is called water in Gen. i. t 
but that that mass called water was in 
fact the grand material out of which 
the earth was formed. It was through 
or by means of that vast mass of 
mingled elements that the earth wag 
made as it was. Every thing arose 
out of that chaotic mass ; through 
that, or by means of that, all things 
were formed, and from the fact that 
the earth was thus formed out of the 
water, or that water entered so essen- 
tially into its formation, there existed 
causes which ultimately resulted in the 
deluge. 

6. Whereby. At top. Through which, 



292 11. PETER. - [A. D. 66. 

7 But the heavens and the earth which are now, by the 



or by means of which. The pronoun 
here is in the plural number, and there 
has been much difference of opinion as 
to what it refers. Some suppose that 
it refers to the heavens mentioned in 
the preceding verse, and to the fact 
that the windows of heaven were 
opened in the deluge (Doddridge) ; 
others that the Greek phrase is taken 
in the sense of (£co) whence. Wet- 
stein supposes that it refers to the 
♦heavens and the earth.' But the 
most obvious reference, though the 
plural number is used, and the word 
water in the antecedent is in the sin- 
gular, is to water. The fact seems to 
be that the apostle had the waters men- 
tioned in Genesis prominently in his 
eye, and meant to describe the effect 
produced by those waters. He has 
also twice, in the same sentence, re- 
ferred to water — 4 out of the water and 
in the water, 9 It is evidently to these 
maters mentioned in Genesis, out of 
which the world was originally made, 
that he refers here. The world was 
formed from that fluid mass ; by these 
waters which existed when the earth 
was made, and out of which it arose, 
it was destroyed. The antecedent to 
the word in the plural number is rather 
that which was in the mind of the 
writer, or that of which he was think- 
ing, than the word which he had used. 
IT 7he world that then was, &c. In- 
cluding all its inhabitants. Rosen- 
muller supposes that the reference here 
is to some universal catastrophe which 
occurred before the deluge in the time 
of Noah, and indeed before the earth 
was fitted up in its present form, as 
described by Moses in Gen. i. It is 
rendered more than probable, by the re- 
searches of geologists in modern times, 
that such changes have occurred, but 
there is no evidence that Peter was ac- 
quainted with them, and his purpose 
did not require that he should refer to 
them. All that his argument demanded 



was the fact that the world had been 
once destroyed, and that therefore there 
was no improbability in believing that 
it would be again. They who main- 
tained that the prediction that the earth 
would be destroyed was improbable, 
affirmed that there were no signs of 
such an event ; that the laws of nature 
were stable and uniform ; and that as 
those laws had been so long and so 
uniformly unbroken, it was absurd to 
believe that such an event could occur. 
To meet this, all that was necessary 
was to show that, in a case where the 
same objections substantially might be 
urged, it had actually occurred that the 
world had been destroyed. There was, 
in itself considered, as much improba« 
bility in believing that the world could 
be destroyed by water as that it would 
be destroyed by fire, and consequently 
the objection had no real force. Not- 
withstanding the apparent stability of 
the laws of nature, the world had been 
once destroyed, and there is, therefore, 
no improbability that it may be again. 
On the objections, which might have 
been plausibly urged against the flood, 
see Notes on Heb. xi. 7. 

7. But the heavens and the earth 
which are now. As they now exist. 
There is no difficulty here respecting 
what is meant by the word earth, but 
it is not so easy to determine precisely 
how much is included in the word 
heavens. It cannot be supposed to 
mean heaven as the place where God 
dwells ; nor is it necessary to suppose 
that Peter understood by the word all 
that would now be implied in it, as 
used by a modern astronomer. The 
word is doubtless employed in a popular 
signification, referring to the heavens 
as they appear to the eye; and the 
idea is, that the conflagration would 
not only destroy the earth, but would 
change the heavens as they now appear 
to us. If, in fact, the earth with its 
atmosphere should be subjected to a 



A. D. 66.] 



CHAPTER III. 



293 



same word are kept in store, re- 
served unto fire ° against the day 

a Ps. 50. 3. Zep. 3. 8. 2 Th. 1. 8. 

universal conflagration, all that is pro- 
perly implied in what is here said by 
Peter would occur. IT By the same 
word. Dependent solely on the will 
of God. He has only to give com- 
mand, and all will be destroyed. The 
laws of nature have no stability inde- 
pendent of his will, and at his pleasure 
all things could be reduced to nothing 
as easily as they were made. A single 
word, a breath of command, from one 
Being, a Being over whom we have no 
control, would spread universal desola- 
tion through the heavens and the earth. 
Notwithstanding the laws of nature, as 
they are called, and the precision, uni- 
formity, and power with which they ope- 
rate, the dependence of the universe on 
the Creator is as entire as though there 
were no such laws, ind as though all 
were conducted by the mere will of the 
Most High, irrespective of such laws. 
In fact, those laws have no efficiency 
of their own, but are a mere statement 
of the way in which God produces the 
changes which occur, the methods by 
which he operates who « works all in 
all.' At any moment he could sus- 
pend them ; that is, he could cease to 
act, or withdraw his efficiency, and the 
universe would cease to be. IT Are 
kept in store. Gr., 1 are treasured up? 
The allusion in the Greek word is to 
any thing that is treasured up, or re- 
served for future use. The apostle does 
not say that this is the only purpose for 
which the heavens and the earth are 
preserved, but that this is one object, or 
this is one aspect in which the subject 
may be viewed. They are like treasure 
reserved for future use. IT Reserved 
unto fire. Reserved or kept to be 
burned up. See Notes on ver. 10. The 
first mode of destroying the world was 
by water, the next will be by fire. 
That the world would at some period 
be destroyed by fire was a co^mm 
25* 



of judgment and perdition of un- 
godly men. 



opinion among the ancient philosophers, 
especially the Greek Stoics. What 
was the foundation of that opinion, or 
whence it was derived, it is impossible 
now to determine, but it is remarkable 
that it should have accorded so entirely 
with the statements of the New Testa- 
ment. The authorities in proof that 
this opinion was entertained may be 
seen in Wetstein, in loc. See Seneca, 
N. Q. iii. 28 ; Cic. N. D. ii. 46 ; Sim- 
plicius in Arist. de Ccelo i. 9 ; Euse- 
bius P. xv. 18. It is quite remarkable 
that there have been among the heathen 
in ancient and modern times so many 
opinions that accord with the statements 
of revelation — opinions, many of them 
which could not have been founded on 
any investigations of science among 
them, and which must, therefore, have 
been either the result of conjecture, or 
handed down by tradition. Whatever 
may have been their origin, the fact 
that such opinions prevailed and were 
believed, may be allowed to have some 
weight in showing that the state- 
ments in the Bible are not improbable. 
IT Against the day of judgment and 
perdition of ungodly men. The world 
was destroyed by a flood on account of 
the wickedness of its inhabitants. It 
would seem from this passage that it 
will be destroyed by fire with reference 
to the same cause ; at least, that its de- 
struction by fire will involve the perdi- 
tion of wicked men. It cannot be in- 
ferred from this passage that the world 
will be as wicked at the general con- 
flagration as it was in the time of Noah, 
but the idea in the mind of Peter seeme 
to have been, that in the destruction of 
the world by fire the perdition of the 
wicked will be involved, or will at 
that time occur. It also seems to be 
implied that the fire will accomplish an 
important agency in that destruction, 
as the water did on the old world. It 



294 



II. PETER. 



[4.D. 66. 



8 But, beloved, be not igno- 
rant of this one thing, that one 
day is with the Lord as a thou- 

a Ps. 90. 4. b Ha. 2. 3. 

is not said, in the passage before us, 
whether those to be destroyed will be 
living at that time, or will be raised 
tip from the dead, nor have we any 
means of determining what was the 
idea of Peter on that point. All that 
the passage essentially teaches is, that 
the world is reserved now with refer- 
ence to such a consummation by fire ; 
that is, that there are elements kept in 
store that may be enkindled into a uni- 
versal conflagration, and that such a 
conflagration will be attended with the 
destruction of the wicked. 

8. But, beloved, be not ignorant of 
this one thing, that one day is with 
the Lord as a thousand years. This 
(vs. 8, 9) is the second consideration 
by which the apostle meets the objec- 
tion of scoffers against the doctrine of 
the second coming of the Saviour. The 
objection was, that much time, and 
perhaps the time which had been sup- 
posed to be set for his coming, had 
passed away, and still all things re- 
mained as they were. The reply of 
the apostle is, that no argument could 
be drawn from this, for that which may 
seem to be a long time to us is a brief 
period with God. In the infinity of 
his own duration there is abundant 
time to accomplish his designs, and it 
can make no difference with him 
whether they are accomplished in 
one day or extended to a thousand 
years. Man has but a short time to 
live, and if he does not accomplish his 
purposes in a very brief period, he never 
will. But it is not so with God. He 
always lives, and we cannot, therefore, 
infer, because the execution of his 
purposes seems to be delayed, that they 
are abandoned. With him who al- 
ways lives it will be as easy to accom- 
plish them at a far distant period as 
now. If it is his pleasure to accom- 



sand years, and a a thousand 
years as one day. 

9 The Lord is not slack b con- 
cerning his promise, as some 

plish them in a single day, he can 
do it; if he chooses that the execu- 
tion shall be deferred to a thousand 
years, or that a thousand years shall be 
consumed in executing them, he has 
power to carry them onward through 
what seems to us to be so vast a dura- 
tion. The wicked, therefore, cannot 
infer that they will escape because 
their punishment is delayed ; nor should 
the righteous fear that the divine pro- 
mises will fail because ages pass away 
before they are accomplished. The 
expression here used, that * one day is 
with the Lord as a thousand years/ &c, 
is common in the Rabbinical writings. 
See Wetstein in loc, A similar thought 
occurs in Ps. xc. 4- : » For a thousand 
years in thy sight are but as yesterday 
when it is past, and as a watch in the 
night." 

9. The Lord is not slack concerning 
his promise. That is, it should not be 
inferred because his promise seems to 
be long delayed that therefore it will 
fail. When men, after a considerable 
lapse of time, fail to fulfil their engage- 
ments, we infer that it is because they 
have changed their plans, or because 
they have forgotten their promises, or 
because they have no ability to perform 
them, or because there is a want of 
principle which makes them regardless 
of their obligations. But no such in- 
ference can be drawn from the ap- 
parent delay of the fulfilment of the 
divine purposes. Whatever may be 
the reasons why they seem to be de- 
ferred, we may be sure that it is from 
no such causes as these. IF As some 
men count slackness. It is probable 
that the apostle here had his eye on 
some professing Christians who had 
become disheartened and impatient, and 
who, from the delay in regard to the 
coming of the Lord Jesus, and from the 



f 



D. 66.] 



CHAPTER III. 



295 



men count slackness ; but is 
long-suffering a to us-ward, not 

a Ps. 86. 15. Is. 30. 18. b Eze. 33. 11. 
c 1 Ti. 2. 4. 



representations of those who denied the 
truth of the Christian religion, arguing 
from that delay that it was false, be- 
gan to fear that his promised coming 
would indeed never occur. To such 
he says that it should not be inferred 
from his delay that he would not re- 
turn, but that the delay should be re- 
garded as an evidence of his desire 
that men should have space for repent- 
ance, and an opportunity to secure their 
salvation. See Notes on ver. 15. IT But 
is long-suffering to us-ward. Toward 
us. The delay should be regarded as 
a proof of his forbearance, and of his 
desire that men should be saved. Every 
sinner should consider the fact that he 
is not cut down in his sins, not as a 
proof that God will not punish the 
wicked, but as a demonstration that he 
is now forbearing, and is willing that 
he should have an ample opportunity 
to obtain eternal life. No man should 
infer that God will not execute his 
threatenings, unless he can look into 
the most distant parts of a coming 
eternity, and demonstrate that there is 
no suffering appointed for the sinner 
there ; any man who sins, and who is 
spared even for a moment, should re- 
gard the respite as a proof that God is 
merciful and forbearing now. Tf Not 
willing that any should perish. That 
is, he does not desire it or wish it. His 
nature is benevolent, and he sincerely 
desires the eternal happiness of all, and 
his patience towards sinners proves 
that he is willing that they should be 
saved. If he were not willing, it would 
be easy for him to cut them off, and 
exclude them from hope at once. This 
bassage, however, should not be adduced 
k> prove (1.) that sinners never will in 
fact perish. For (a) the passage does 
no* refer to what God will do as the 
Judge of mankind, but to what 



willing b that any should perish, 
but that all should c come to re- 
pentance. 



are his feelings and desires now towards 
men. (b) One may have a sincere de- 
sire that others should not perish, and 
yet it may be, that, in entire consistency 
with that, they will perish. A parent 
has a sincere wish that his children 
should not be punished, and yet he 
himself may be under a moral necessity 
to punish them. A lawgiver may have 
a sincere wish that no one should ever 
break the laws, or be punished, and yet 
he himself may build a prison, and 
construct a gallows, and cause the law 
to be executed in a most rigorous man- 
ner. A judge on the bench may have 
a sincere desire that no man should be 
executed, and that every one arraigned 
before him should be found to be inno- 
cent, and yet even he, in entire accord- 
ance with that wish, and with a most 
benevolent heart, even with tears in his 
eyes, may pronounce the sentence of 
the law. (c) It cannot be inferred that 
all that the heart of infinite benevolence 
would desire, will be accomplished by 
his mere will. It is evidently as much 
in accordance with the benevolence of 
God that no man should be miserable 
in this world as it is that no one should 
suffer in the next, since the difficulty is 
not in the question where one shall 
suffer, but in the fact itself that any 
should suffer, and it is just as much in 
accordance with his nature that all 
should be happy here as that they 
should be happy hereafter. And yet 
no man can maintain that the fact 
that God is benevolent proves that no 
one will suffer here. As little will 
that fact prove that none will suffer in 
the world to come. (2.) The passage 
should not be adduced to prove that 
God has no purpose, and has formed no 
plan, in regard to the destruction of 
the wicked. For (a) the word here 
used has reference rather to his dispo- 



296 II. PETER. [A. D. 6K 

10 But the day of the Lord in the which the heavens * shall 
will come as a thief a in the night; pass away with a great noise, 

a Matt. 24. 42, 43. Re. 16. 15. b Ps. 102. 26. Is. 51. 6. Re. 20. 11. 



sition, or to his nature, than to any act 
or plan ; (£) there is a sense, as is ad- 
mitted by all, in which he does will the 
destruction of the wicked, to wit, if 
they do not repent, that is, if they de- 
serve it ; (c) such an act is as incon- 
sistent with his general benevolence as 
an eternal purpose in the matter, since 
his eternal purpose can only have been 
to do what he actually does, and if it 
be consistent with a sincere desire that 
sinners should be saved to do this, then 
it is consistent to determine beforehand 
to do it — for to determine beforehand to 
do what is in fact right, cannot but be 
a lovely trait in the character of any 
one. (3.) The passage then proves (a) 
that God has a sincere desire that men 
should be saved; (5) that any purpose 
in regard to the destruction of sinners 
is not founded on mere will, or is not 
arbitrary; (c) thai it would be agreeable 
to the nature of God, and to his arrange- 
ments in the plan of salvation, if all 
men should come to repentance, and 
accept the offers of mercy ; {d) that if 
any come to him truly penitent, and 
desirous to be saved, they will not be 
cast off; (e) that, since it is in accord- 
ance with his nature that he should 
desire that all men may be saved, it 
may be presumed that he has made an 
arrangement by which it is possible 
that they should be; and (/) that, 
since this is his desire, it is proper for 
the ministers of religion to offer sal- 
vation to every human being. Comp. 
Ezek. xxxiii. 11. 

10. But the day of the Lord. The 
day of the Lord Jesus. That is, the 
day in which he will be manifested. 
It is called his day, because he will 
then be the grand and prominent ob- 
ject as the Judge of all. Comp. Luke 
xvii. 27. Will come as a thief in 
the night. Unexpectedly ; suddenly. 
See Notes on J Thess. v. 2. t In the | 



which the heavens shall pass away 
with a great noise. That is, what 
seems to us to be the heavens. It can- 
not mean that the holy abode where 
God dwells will pass away ; nor need 
we suppose that this declaration extends 
to the starry worlds and systems as 
disclosed by the modern astronomy. 
The word is doubtless used in a popu- 
lar sense — that is, as things appear to 
us ; and the fair interpretation of the 
passage would demand only such a 
change as would occur by the destruc- 
tion of this world by fire. If a confla- 
gration should take place, embracing 
the earth and its surrounding atmo- 
sphere, all the phenomena would occur 
which are here described ; and, if this 
would be so, then this is all that can 
be proved to be meant by the passage. 
Such a destruction of the elements 
could not occur without « a great noise.' 
V And the elements shall melt with 
fervent heat. Gr., « the elements being 
burned, or burning (xavaovfxsva), shall 
be dissolved.' The idea is, that the 
cause of their being < dissolved' shall be 
fire ; or that there will be a conflagra- 
tion extending to what are here called 
the « elements,' that shall produce the 
effects here described by the word 1 dis- 
solved.' There has been much differ- 
ence of opinion in regard to the mean- 
ing of the word here rendered elements 
(cWob%sut)' The word occurs in the 
New Testament only in the following 
places: Gal. iv. 3, 9. 2 Pet. iii. 10, 12, 
in which it is rendered elements ; Col. 
ii. 8, 20, in which it is rendered rudi- 
ments, and in Heb. v. 12, where it is 
rendered principles. For the general 
meaning of the word, see Notes on 
Gal. iv. 3. The word denotes the ru- 
diments of any thing ; the minute parts 
or portions of which any thing is com- 
posed, or which constitutes the simple 
portions out of which any thing grows, 



1 



A. D. 66.] 

and the elements shall melt with 
fervent heat; the earth also, and 

or of which it is compounded. Here 
it would properly denote the compo- 
nent parts of the material world ; or 
those which enter into its composition, 
and of which it is made up. It is not 
to be supposed that the apostle used 
the term with the same exact signifi- 
cation with which a chemist would use 
it now, but in accordance with the 
popular use of the term in his day. In 
all ages, and in all languages, some 
such word; with more or less of scien- 
tific accuracy, has been employed to 
denote the pnmary materials out of 
which others were formed, just as, in 
most languages, there have been char- 
acters or letters to denote the element- 
ary sounds of which language is com- 
posed. The ancients in general sup- 
posed that the elements out of which 
all things were formed, were four — air, 
earth, fire, and water. Modern science 
has entirely overturned this theory, and 
has shown that these, so far from being 
simple elements, are themselves com- 
pounds; but the tendency of modern 
science is still to show that the ele- 
ments of all things are in fact few in 
number. The word, as here used by 
Peter, would refer to the elements of 
things as then understood in a popular 
sense ; it would now not be an impro- 
per word to be applied to the few ele- 
ments of which all things are composed 
as disclosed by modern chemistry. In 
either case the use of the word would 
be correct. Whether applied to the 
one or the other, science has shown 
that all are capable of combustion. 
Water, in its component parts, is in- 
flammable in a high degree ; and even 
the diamond has been shown to be 
combustible. The idea contained in 
the word 4 dissolved/ is properly only 
the change which heat produces. Heat 
changes the forms of things; dissolves 
them into their elements ; dissipates 
those which were solid by driving them 



297 

the works that are therein, shall 
be burnt up. 

off* into gases; and produces new com* 
pounds, but it annihilates nothing. It 
could not be demonstrated from this 
phrase that the world would be annihi- 
lated by fire; it could be proved only 
that it will undergo important changes. 
So far as the action of fire is concerned, 
the form of the earth may pass away, 
and its aspect be changed ; but unless 
the direct power which created it inter- 
poses to annihilate it, the matter which 
now composes it will still be in exist 
ence. IF The earth also, and the worki 
that are therein, shall be burnt up. 
That is, whether they are the works 
of God or man — the whole vegetable 
and animal creation, and all the towers, 
the towns, the palaces, the productions 
of genius, the paintings, the statuary, 
the books, which man has made. 

" The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous pa- 
laces, 

The solemn temples ; the great globe it« 
self, 

And all that it inherits, shall dissolve, 
And, like the baseless fabric of a vision, 
Leave not one wreck behind." 

The word rendered * burnt up,' like the 
word just before used and rendered 
fervent heat — a word of the same origin, 
but here intensive — means that they 
will undergo such a change as fire will 
produce ; not, necessarily, that the mat- 
ter composing them will be annihilated. 
If the matter composing the earth is 
ever to be destroyed entirely, it must 
be by the immediate power of God, for 
only he who created can destroy. There 
is not the least evidence that a particle 
of matter originally made has been an- 
nihilated since the world began; and 
there are no fires so intense, no chemi- 
cal powers so mighty, as to cause a 
particle of matter to cease wholly to be. 
So far as the power of man is con- 
cerned, and so far as one portion of 
matter can prey on another, matter is 
as imperishable as mind, and neither 
can be destroyed unless God destroy* 



chapter rrr. 



298 II. PI 

it. Whether it is his purpose to anni- 
hilate any portion of the matter which 
he has made, does not appear from his 
word ; but it is clear that he intends 
that the universe shall undergo import- 
ant changes. As to the possibility or 
probability of such a destruction by fire 
as is here predicted, no one can have 
any doubt who is acquainted with the 
disclosures of modern science in regard 
to the internal structure of the earth. 
Even the ancient philosophers, from 
some cause, supposed that the earth 
would yet be destroyed by fire (Notes 
on ver. 7) ; and modern science has 
made it probable that the interior of the 
earth is a melted and intensely heated 
mass of burning materials ; that the 
habitable world is but a comparatively 
thin crust or shell over those internal 
fires ; that earthquakes are caused by 
the vapours engendered by that heated 
mass when water comes in contact with 
it; and that volcanoes are but openings 
and vent-holes through which those 
internal flames make their way to the 
surface. Whether these fires will 
everywhere make their way to the sur- 
face and produce an universal confla- 
gration, perhaps could not be deter- 
mined by science ; but no one can 
doubt that the simple command of God 
would be all that is necessary to pour 
those burning floods over the earth, as 
he once caused the waters to roll over 
every mountain and through every val- 
ley. As to the question whether it is 
probable that such a change produced 
by fire, and bringing the present order 
of things to a close, will occur, it 
may be remarked farther, that there is 
reason to believe that such changes are 
in fact taking place in other worlds. 
" During the last two or three centu- 
ries, upwards of thirteen fixed stars 
have disappeared. One of them, situ- 
ated in the northern hemisphere, pre- 
sented a peculiar brilliancy, and was 
so bright as to be seen by the naked 
eye at mid-day. It seemed to be on 
fire, appearing at first of a dazzling 



ITER. [A. D. 66. 

white, then of a reddish yellow, and 
lastly of an ashy pale colour. La 
Place supposes that it was burned up, 
as it has never been seen since. The 
conflagration was visible about sixteen 
months." The well-known astrono- 
mer, Von Littrow, in the section of his 
work on " New and Missing Stars" 
(entitled Die Wunder der Himmels 
oder Gemeinfassliche Darstellung der 
Weltsystems, Stuttgard, 1843, § 227), 
observes : " Great as may be the revo- 
lutions which take place on the surface 
of those fixed stars, which are subject 
to this alternation of light, what en- 
tirely different changes may those others 
have experienced, which in regions of 
the firmament where no star had ever 
been before, appeared to blaze up in 
clear flames, and then to disappear, 
perhaps for ever." He then gives a 
brief history of those stars which have 
excited the particular attention of as- 
tronomers. " In the year 1572, on the 
11th of November," says he, " Tycho, 
on passing from his chemical laboratory 
to the observatory, through the court 
of his house, observed in the constella- 
tion Cassiopeia, at a place where before 
he had only seen very small stars, a 
new star of uncommon magnitude. It 
was so bright that it surpassed even 
Jupiter and Venus in splendour, and 
was visible even in the day-time. Dur- 
ing the whole time in which it was 
visible, Tycho could observe no paral- 
lax or change of position. At the end 
of the year, however, it gradually dimi- 
nished, and at length, in March, 1574, 
sixteen months after its discovery, en- 
tirely disappeared, since which all 
traces of it have been lost. When it 
first appeared its light was of a daz- 
zling white colour; in January, 1573, 
two months after its reviving, it became 
yellowish ; in a few months it assumed 
a reddish hue, like Mars or Aldebarar. , 
and in the beginning of the year 1574, 
two or three months before its total 
disappearance, it glimmered only with 
a gray or lead- coloured light, similai 



A. D. 66.] CHAP1 

11 Seeing then that all these 
things shall be dissolved, what 
manner of persons ought ye to 
be in all holy conversation and 
godliness : 

12 Looking for a and 1 hasting 

a Tit. 2. 13. 1 or, hasting- the coming. 

to that of Saturn." See Bibliotheca 
Sacra, III., p. 181. If such things oc- 
cur in other worlds, there is nothing 
improbable or absurd in the supposition 
that they may yet occur on the earth. 

11. Seeing then that all these things 
shall be dissolved. Since this is an 
undoubted truth. IT What manner of 
persons ought ye to be in all holy con- 
versation and godliness. In holy con- 
duct and piety. That is, this fact 
ought to be allowed to exert a deep and 
abiding influence on us, to induce us to 
lead holy lives. We should feel that 
there is nothing permanent on the 
earth ; that this is not our abiding 
home ; and that our great interests are 
in another world. We should be se- 
rious, humble, and prayerful ; and 
should make it our great object to be 
prepared for the solemn scenes through 
which we are soon to pass. An ha- 
bitual contemplation of the truth that 
all that we see is soon to pass away, 
would produce a most salutary effect 
on the mind. It would make us se- 
rious. It would repress ambition. It 
would lead us not to desire to accumu- 
'ate what must so soon be destroyed. It 
would prompt us to lay up our trea- 
sures in heaven. It would cause us to 
ask with deep earnestness whether we 
are prepared for these amazing scenes 
should they suddenly burst upon us. 

12. Looking for. Not knowing 
when this may occur, the mind should 
be in that state which constitutes ex- 
pectation ; that is, a belief that it will 
occur, and a condition of mind in which 
we would not be taken by surprise 
should it happen at any moment. See 
Notes on Titus ii. 13. IT And hasting \ 



ER III. 299 

unto the coming of the day of 
God, wherein the heavens, being 
on fire, shall be dissolved, and 
the elements shall melt b with 
fervent heat? 

13 Nevertheless we, accord- 

b Is. 64. & 2. Mi. 1. 4. 



unto the coming. Marg., as in Greek, 
4 hasting the coming. 7 The Greek 
word rendered hasting (artsvBc*) means 
to urge on, to hasten; and then to 
hasten after any thing, to await with 
eager desire. This is evidently the 
sense here. Wetstein and Robinson. 
The state of mind which is indicated 
by the word is that when we are anx- 
iously desirous that any thing should 
occur, and when we would hasten or 
accelerate it if we could. The true 
Christian does not dread the coming of 
that day. He looks forward to it as 
the period of his redemption, and would 
welcome, at any time, the return of his 
Lord and Saviour. While he is willing 
to wait as long as it shall please God 
for the advent of his Redeemer, yet to 
him the brightest prospect in the future 
is that hour when he shall come to 
take him to himself. IT The coming 
of the day of God. CaFied < the day 
of God/ because God will then be 
manifested in his power and glory. 

13. Nevertheless we, according to hi* 
promise. The allusion here seems to 
be, beyond a doubt, to two passages in 
Isaiah, in which a promise of this kind 
is found. Isa. Ixv. 17. "For behold, I 
create new heavens, and a new earth : 
and the former shall not be remembered 
nor come into mind." Isa. lxvi. 22. 
" For as the new heavens and the new 
earth which I will make, shall remain 
before me, saith the Lord," &c. Comp. 
Rev. xxi. 1, where John says he had a 
vision of the new heaven and the new 
earth which was promised. "And I 
saw a new heaven and a new earth ; 
for the first heaven and the first earth 
were passed away, and there was no 



800 



II. PETER, 



[A. D. 66 



ing to his promise, look for new 

a Re. 21. 1, 27. 

more sea." See Notes on Isa. lxv. 17. 
IT Look for new heavens and a new 
earth. It may not be easy to answer 
many of the questions which might be 
asked respecting the « new heavens and 
earth' here mentioned. One of those 
which are most naturally asked is, 
whether the apostle meant to say that 
this earth, after being purified by fire, 
would be fitted up again for the abode 
of the redeemed ; but this question it 
is impossible to answer with certainty. 
The following remarks may perhaps 
embrace all that is known, or that can 
be shown to be probable, on the mean- 
ing of the passage before us. First. 
The « new heavens and the new earth' 
referred to will be such as will exist 
after the world shall have been de- 
stroyed by fire ; that is, after the gene- 
ral judgment. There is not a word 
expressed, and not a hint given, of any 
<new heaven and earth' previous to 
this, in which the Saviour will reign 
personally over his saints, in such a 
renovated world, through a long millen- 
nial period. The order of events stated 
by Peter, is (a) that the heavens and 
earth which' are now, are « kept in 
store, reserved unto fire against the day 
of judgment, and perdition of ungodly 
men' (ver. 7) ; (b) that the day of the 
Lord will come suddenly and unexpect- 
edly (ver. 10) ; that then the heavens 
and earth will pass away with a great 
noise, the elements will melt, and the 
earth with all its works be burned up 
(ver. 10) ; and (c) that after this (ver. 
13) we are to expect the « new heavens 
and new earth.' Nothing is said of a 
personal reign of Christ; nothing of 
the resurrection of the saints to dwell 
with him on the earth ; nothing of the 
world's being fitted up for their abode 
previous to the final judgment. If 
Peter had any knowledge of such 
events, and believed that they would 
occur, it is remarkable that he did not 



° heavens and a new earth, 
wherein dwelleth righteousness. 

even allude to them here. The pas- 
sage before us is one of the very few 
places in the New Testament where 
allusion is made to the manner in 
which the affairs of the world will be 
closed, and it cannot be explained why, 
if he looked for such a glorious personal 
reign of the Saviour, the subject should 
have been passed over in total silence. 
Second. The word « new,' applied to 
the heavens and the earth that are to 
succeed the present, might express one 
of the following three things ; that is, 
either of these things would correspond 
with all that is fairly implied in that 
word, (a) If a new world was literally 
created out of nothing after this world 
is destroyed ; for that would be in the 
strictest sense new. That such an 
event is possible no one can doubt, 
though it is not revealed, (b) If an 
inhabitant of the earth should dwell 
after death on any other of the worlds 
now existing, it would be to him a 
« new' abode, and every thing would 
appear new. Let him, for instance, 
be removed to the planet Saturn, 
with its wonderful ring, and its seven 
moons, and the whole aspect of the 
heavens, and of the world on which he 
would then dwell, would be new to 
him. The same thing would occur if 
he were to dwell on any other of the 
heavenly bodies, or if he were to pass 
from world to world. * See this illus- 
trated at length in the works of Thomas 
Dick, LL. D. ' Celestial Scenery,' &c. 
Comp. Notes on 1 Pet. i. 12. (c) If 
the earth should be renovated, and hixed 
up for the abode of man after thn uni- 
versal conflagration, it would then be a 
new abode. Third. This world, thus 
renovated, may be, from time to time, 
the temporary abode of the redeemed, 
after the final judgment. No one can 
prove that this may not bf\ though 
there is no evidence that it will be their 
permanent and eternal abodtj, or tha 



A- D. 66.] 



CHAPTER ill. 



301 



even all the redeemed will at any one 
time find a home on this globe, for no 
one can suppose that the earth is spa- 
cious enough to furnish a dwelling- 
place for all the unnumbered millions 
that are to be saved. But that the 
earth may again be revisited from time 
to time by the redeemed ; that in a 
purified and renovated form it may be 
one of the « many mansions' which are 
to be fitted up for them (John xiv. 2), 
may not appear wholly improbable from 
the following suggestions : (1.) It 
seems to have been a law of the earth 
that in its progress it should be pre- 
pared at one period for the dwelling- 
place of a higher order of beings at 
another period. Thus, according to 
the disclosures of geology, it existed 
perhaps for countless ages before it was 
fitted to be an abode for man ; and that 
it was occupied by the monsters of an 
inferior order of existence, who have 
now passed away to make room for a 
nobler race. Who can tell but the 
present order of things may pass away 
to make place for the manifestations of 
a more exalted mode of being ] (2.) 
There is no certain evidence that any 
world has been annihilated, though 
some have disappeared from human 
view. Indeed, as observed above, 
(Notes on ver. 10) there is no proof 
that a single particle of matter ever 
has been annihilated, or ever will be. 
It may change its form, but it may still 
exist. (3.) It seems, also, to accord 
most with probability that, though the 
earth may undergo important changes 
by flood or fire, it will not be annihi- 
lated. It seems difficult to suppose 
that, as a world, it will be wholly dis- 
placed from the system of which it is 
now a part, or that the system itself 
will disappear. The earth, as one of 
the worlds of God, has occupied too 
important a position in the history of 
the universe to make it to be easily 
believed that the place where the Son 
of God became incarnate aw died, 
shall be utterly swept away. P would, 
26 



certainly, accord more with all the 
feelings which we can have on such a 
subject, to suppose that a world once so 
beautiful when it came from the hand 
of its Maker, should be restored to 
primitive loveliness ; that a world which 
seems to have been made primarily 
(see Notes on 1 Pet. i. 12) with a view 
to illustrate the glory of God in re- 
demption, should be preserved in some 
appropriate form to be the theatre of 
the exhibition of the developement of 
that plan in far distant ages to come 
(4.) To the redeemed, it would be 
most interesting again to visit the 
spot where the great work of their 
redemption was accomplished ; where 
the Son of God became incarnate and 
made atonement for sin ; and where 
there would be so many interesting re- 
collections and associations, even after 
the purification by fire, connected with 
the infancy of their existence, and their 
preparation for eternity. Piety would 
at least wish that the world where 
Gethsemane and Calvary are should 
never be blotted out from the universe. 
But (5.) if, after their resurrection and 
reception into heaven, the redeemed 
shall ever re-visit a world so full of in- 
teresting recollections and associations ; 
where they began their being, where 
their Redeemer lived and died, where 
they were renewed and sanctified, and 
where their bodies once rested in the 
grave, there is no reason to suppose 
that this will be their permanent and 
unchanging abode. It may be mere 
speculation, but it seems to accord best 
with the goodness of God, and with 
the manner in which the universe is 
made, to suppose that every portion of 
it may be visited, and become succes- 
sively the abode of the redeemed ; that 
they may pass from world to world, and 
survey the wonders and the works of 
God as they are displayed in different 
worlds. The universe so vast seems 
to have been fitted up for such a pur- 
pose, and nothing else that we can con^ 
ceive of will be so adapted to give em 



B02 



II. PETER, 



LA. D. 66 



14 Wherefore, beloved, see- 
ing that ye look for such things, 
be diligent a that ye may be found 

a 1 Co. 15. 58. 1 Th. 5. 23. 

ployment without weariness to the 
minds that God has made, in the inter- 
minable duration before them. Fourth. 
The new heavens and earth will be 
holy. They will be the abode of right- 
eousness for ever, (a) This fact is 
clearly revealed in the verse before us : 
< wherein dwelleth righteousness.' It 
is also the correct statement of the 
Scriptures. Rev. xxi. 27. 1 Cor. vi. 9, 
10. Heb. xii. 14. (b) This will be in 
strong contrast with what has occurred 
on earth. The history of this world 
has been almost entirely a history of 
sin — of its nature, developements, re- 
sults. There have been no perfectly 
holy beings on the earth, except the 
Saviour, and the angels who have oc- 
casionally visited it. There has been 
no perfectly holy place — city, village, 
hamlet; no perfectly holy community. 
But the future world, in strong con- 
trast with this, will be perfectly pure, 
and will be a fair illustration of what 
religion in its perfect form will do. 
(c) It is for this that the Christian 
desires to dwell in that world, and 
waits for the coming of his Saviour. 
It is not primarily that he may be 
happy, desirable as that is, but that he 
may be in a world where he himself 
will be perfectly pure, and where all 
around him will be pure ; where every 
being that he meets shall be < holy as 
God is holy/ and every place on which 
his eye rests, or his foot treads, shall be 
uncontaminated by sin. To the eye 
of faith and hope how blessed is the 
prospect of such a world ! 

14. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that 
ye look for such things, be diligent. 
That is, in securing your salvation. 
The effect of such hopes and prospects 
should be to lead us to an earnest in- 
quiry whether we are prepared to dwell 
in a holy world, and to make us dili- 



of him in peace, without spot, 
and blameless. 

15 And account that the long- 
suffering of our Lord is salva- 

gent in performing the duties, and pa- 
tient in bearing the trials of life. He 
who has such hopes set before him, 
should seek earnestly that he may be 
enabled truly to avail himself of them, 
and should make their attainment the 
great object of his life. He who is so 
soon to come to an end of all weary 
toil, should be .willing to labour dili- 
gently and faithfully while life lasts. 
He who is so soon to be relieved from 
all temptation and trial, should be will- 
ing to bear a little longer the sorrows 
of the present world. What are all 
these compared with the glory that 
awaits us 1 Comp. Notes on 1 Cor. 
xv. 58. Rom. viii. 18, seq. 2 Cor. iv. 
16 — 18. IT That ye may be found of 
him in peace. Found by him when 
he returns in such a state as to secure 
your eternal peace, f Without spot, 
and blameless. See Notes on Eph. v. 
27. It should be an object of earnest 
effort with us to have the last stain of 
sin and pollution removed from our 
souls. A deep feeling that we are soon 
to stand in the presence of a holy God, 
our final Judge, cannot but have a 
happy influence in making us pure. 

15. And account that the long-suf- 
fering of our Lord is salvation. Re- 
gard his delay in coming to judge the 
world, not as an evidence that he never 
will come, but as a proof of his desire 
that we should be saved. Many had 
drawn a different inference from the 
fact that the Saviour did not return, 
and had supposed that it was a proof 
that he would never come, and that his 
promises had failed. Peter says that 
that conclusion was not authorized, bu 
that we should rather regard it as ar 
evidence of his mercy, and of his desire 
that we should be saved. This conclu- 
sion is as proper now as it was then. 
Wicked men should not infer, becaust 



A. D. 66.] 



CHAPTER III. 



303 



tion; a even as our beloved bro- 
ther Paul also, according to the 

a Ro. 2. 4. 

God does not cut them down, that, 
therefore, they never will be punished, 
or that God is not faithful to his threat- 
enings. They should rather regard it 
as a proof that he is willing to save 
them; for (1.) he might justly cut 
them off' for their sins ; (2.) the only 
reason of which we have knowledge 
why he spares the wicked is to give 
them space for repentance ; and (3.) as 
long as life is prolonged a sinner has 
the opportunity to repent, and may turn 
to God. We may, therefore, in our 
own case, look on all the delays of God 
to punish ; on all his patience and for- 
bearance towards us, notwithstanding 
our sins and provocations ; on the num- 
berless tokens of his kindness scattered 
along our way, as evidence that he 
is not willing that we should perish. 
What an accumulated argument in any 
case would this afford of the willing- 
ness of God to save ! Let any man 
look on his own sins, his pride, and 
selfishness, and sensuality ; let him 
contemplate the fact that he has sinned 
through many years, and against many 
mercies ; let him endeavour to estimate 
the number and magnitude of his of- 
fences, and upon God's patience in 
bearing with him while these have been 
committed, and who can overrate the 
force of such an argument in proof 
that God is slow to anger, and is 
willing to save? Comp. Notes on 
Rom. ii. i. IT Even as our beloved 
brother Paul also. From this refer- 
ence to Paul the following things are 
clear: (1.) That Peter was acquainted 
with his writings; (2.) that he pre- 
sumed that those to whom he wrote 
were also acquainted with them ; (3.) 
that Peter regarded Paul as a < beloved 
brother/ notwithstanding the solemn 
rebuke which Paul had had occasion to 
administer to him (Gal. ii. 2, seq.) ; (4.) 
that he regarded him as authority in 



wisdom given unto him, hath 
written unto you ; 



inculcating the doctrines and duties of 
religion ; and (5.) that he regarded 
him as an inspired man, and his writ- 
ings as a part of divine truth. See 
Notes on ver. 16. That Peter has 
shown in his epistles that he was ac- 
quainted with the writings of Paul, 
has been abundantly proved by Eich- 
horn (Einleitung in das N. Tes. viii. 
606, seq.), and will be apparent by a 
comparison of the following passages : 
Eph. i. 3 with 1 Pet. iii. 1 ; Col. iii. 8 
with 1 Pet. ii. 1 ; Eph. v. 22 with 1 
Pet. iii. 1 ; Eph. v. 21 with 1 Pet. v. 
5 ; 1 Thess. v. 6 with 1 Pet. v. 8 ; 1 
Cor. xvi. 20 with 1 Pet. v. 14; Rom. 
viii. 18 with 1 Pet. v. 1 ; Rom. iv. 24 
with 1 Pet. i. 21 ; Rom. xiii. 1, 3, 4 
with 1 Pet. ii. 13, 14; 1 Tim. ii. 9 
with 1 Pet. iii. 3 ; 1 Tim. v. 5 with I 
Pet. iii. 5. The writings of the apos- 
tles were doubtless extensively circu- 
lated, and one apostle, though himself 
inspired, could not but feel a deep in- 
terest in the writings of another. There 
would be cases, also, as in the instance 
before us, in which one would wish to 
confirm his own sentiments by the ac- 
knowledged wisdom, experience, and 
authority of another, f According to 
the wisdom given unto him. Peter evi- 
dently did not mean to disparage that 
wisdom, or to express a doubt that Paul 
was endowed with wisdom ; he meant 
undoubtedly that, in regard to Paul, the 
same thing was true which he would 
have affirmed of himself or of any other 
man, that whatever wisdom he had was 
to be traced to a higher than human ori- 
gin. This would at the same time tend 
to secure more respect for the opinion 
of Paul than if he had said it was his 
own, and would keep up in the minds 
of those to whom he wrote a sense of 
the truth that all wisdom is from above. 
In reference to ourselves, to our friends, 
to our teachers, and to all men, it is 



Wk II. PE' 

16 As also in all his epistles, ° 

a Ro. 8. 1 Co. 15. 1 Th. 4 & 5. 2 Th. 1. 

proper to bear in remembrance the fact 
that all true wisdom is from the " Fa- 
ther of lights." Comp. Notes on James 
i. 5, 17. % Hath written unto you. 
It is not necessary to suppose that Paul 
had written any epistles addressed spe- 
cifically, and by name, to the persons 
to whom Peter wrote. It is rather to 
be supposed that the persons to whom 
Peter wrote (1 Pet. i. 1) lived in the 
regions to which some of Paul's epis- 
tles were addressed, and that they might 
be regarded as addressed to them. The 
epistles to the Galatians, Ephesians, 
and Colossians, were of this descrip- 
tion, all addressed to churches in Asia 
Minor, and all, therefore, having refer- 
ence to the same people to whom Peter 
addressed his epistles. 

16. As also in all his epistles. Not 
only in those which he addressed to 
the churches in Asia Minor, but in his 
epistles generally. It is to be presumed 
that they might have had an acquaint- 
ance with some of the other epistles of 
Paul, as well as those sent to the 
churches in their immediate vicinity. 
IT Speaking in them of these things. 
The things which Peter had dwelt upon 
in his two epistles. The great doctrines 
of the cross ; of the depravity of man ; 
of the divine purposes ; of the new 
birth ; of the consummation of all 
things ; of the return of the Saviour to 
judge the world, and to receive his 
people to himself : the duty of a serious, 
devout, and prayerful life, and of being 
prepared for the heavenly world. These 
things are constantly dwelt upon by 
Paul, and to his authority in these re- 
spects Peter might appeal with the ut- 
most confidence, ^ In which. The 
common reading in this passage is i v 
ol$, and according to this the reference 
is to the subjects treated of — 4 in which 
things 9 — referring to what he had just 
spoken of — < speaking of these things, 9 



FER. [A. D. 6a 

speaking in them of these things; 

This reading is found in the common 
editions of the New Testament, and is 
supported by far the greater number 
of MSS., and by most commentators 
and critics. It is found in Griesbach, 
Tittman, and Harm, and has every 
evidence of being the genuine reading 
Another reading, however (iv a!V)> is 
found in some valuable MSS., and is 
supported by the Syriac and Arabic 
versions, and adopted by Mill (Pro- 
leg., 1484), and by Beza. According 
to this, the reference is to the epistles 
themselves — as would seem to be im- 
plied in our common version. The 
true construction, so far as the evidence 
goes, is to refer it not directly to the 
epistles, but to the things of which 
Peter says Paul wrote ; that is, not to 
the style and language of Paul, hut to 
the great truths and doctrines which 
he taught. Those doctrines were in- 
deed contained in his epistles, but still, 
according to the fair construction of the 
passage before us, Peter should not be 
understood as accusing Paul of obscu- 
rity of style. He refers, not to the 
difficulty of understanding what Paul 
meant, but to the difficulty of compre- 
hending the great truths which he 
taught. This is, generally, the great- 
est difficulty in regard to the statements 
of Paul. The difficulty is not that the 
meaning of the writer is not plain, but 
it is either (a) that the mind is over- 
powered by the grandeur of the thought, 
and the incomprehensible nature of the 
theme : or (b) that the truth is so un- 
palatable, and the mind is so prejudiced 
against it, that we are unwilling to 
receive it. Many a man knows well 
enough what Paul means, and would re- 
ceive his doctrines without hesitation if 
the heart was not opposed to it; and in 
this state of mind Paul is charged with 
obscurity, when the real difficulty lies 
only in the heart of him who makes the 



A. D. 66.] CHAP! 

in which are some things hard 

complaint. If this be the true inter- 
pretation of this passage, then it should 
not be adduced to prove that Paul is 
an obscure writer, whatever may be 
true on that point. There are, undoubt- 
edly, obscure things in his writings, as 
there are in all other ancient compo- 
sitions, but this passage should not be 
adduced to prove that he had not the 
faculty of making himself understood. 
An honest heart, a willingness to re- 
ceive the truth, is one of the best quali- 
fications for understanding the writings 
of Paul, and when this exists, no one 
will fail to find truth that may be com- 
prehended, and that will be eminently 
adapted to sanctify and save the soul. 
IT Are some things hard to be under- 
stood. Things pertaining to high and 
difficult subjects, and which are not 
easy to be comprehended. Peter does 
not call in question the truth of what 
Paul had written ; he does not intimate 
that he himself would differ from him. 
His language is rather that which a 
man would use who regarded the writ- 
ings to which he referred as true, and 
what he says here is an honourable 
testimony to the authority of Paul. It 
may be added, (1.) That Peter does 
not say that all the doctrines of the 
Bible, or even all the doctrines of Paul, 
are hard to be understood, or that no- 
thing is plain. (2.) He says nothing 
about withholding the Bible, or even 
the writings of Paul, from the mass of 
Christians, on the ground of the diffi- 
culty of understanding the Scriptures ; 
nor does he intimate that that was the 
design of the Author of the Bible. 
(3.) It is perfectly manifest, from this 
very passage, that the writings of Paul 
were in fact in the hands of the people, 
else how could they wrest and pervert 
them 1 (4.) Peter says nothing about 
An infallible interpreter of any kind, 
jjor does he intimate that either he or 
his * successors' were authorized to in- 
28* 



ER III. 305 
to be understood, which they 

terpret them for the church. (5.) With 
what propriety can the pretended suc- 
cessor of Peter — the pope — undertake 
to expound those difficult doctrines in 
the writings of Paul, when even Peter 
himself did not undertake it, and when 
he did not profess to be able to compre- 
hend them 1 Is the pope more skilled 
in the knowledge of divine things than 
the apostle Peter ? Is he better quali- 
fied to interpret the sacred writings 
than an inspired apostle was 1 (6.) 
Those portions of the writings of Paul, 
for any thing that appears to the con- 
trary, are just as 4 hard to be under- 
stood' now as they were before the 
'infallible' church undertook to explain 
them. The world is little indebted to 
any claims of infallibility in explaining 
the meaning of the oracles of God. It 
remains yet to be seen that any portion 
of the Bible has been made clearer by 
any mere authoritative explanation. 
And (7.) It should be added, that with- 
out any such exposition, the humble 
inquirer after truth may find enough 
in the Bible to guide his feet in the 
paths of salvation. No one ever ap- 
proached the sacred Scriptures with a 
teachable heart, who did not find them 
1 able to make him wise unto salva- 
tion.' Comp. Notes on 2 Tim. hi. 15. 
IT Which they that are unlearned. The 
evil here adverted to is that which 
arises in cases where those without 
competent knowledge undertake to be- 
come expounders of the word of God. 
It is not said that it is not proper for 
them to attempt to become instructed 
by the aid of the sacred writings ; but 
the danger is, that without proper views 
of interpretation, of language, and of an- 
cient customs, they might be in danger of 
perverting and abusing certain portions 
of the writings of Paul. - Intelligence 
among the people is everywhere in the 
Bible presumed to be proper in under 
standing the sacred Scriptures, and ig° 



806 



that are unlearned and unstable 
wrest, as they do also the other 

norance may produce the same effects 
in interpreting the Bible which it will 
produce in interpreting- other writings. 
Every good thing is liable to abuse ; 
but the proper way to correct this evil, 
and to remove this danger, is not to keep 
the people in ignorance, or to appoint 
some one to be an infallible interpreter ; 
it is to remove the ignorance itself by 
enlightening the people, and rendering 
them better qualified to understand the 
sacred oracles. The way to remove 
error is not to perpetuate ignorance ; it 
is to enlighten the mind, so that it may 
be qualified to appreciate the truth. 
IT And unstable. Who have no set- 
tled principles and views. The evil 
here adverted to is that which arises 
where those undertake to interpret the 
Bible who have no established prin- 
ciples. They regard nothing as set- 
tled. They have no landmarks set up 
to guide their inquiries. They have 
no stability in their character, and of 
course nothing can be regarded as set- 
tled in their methods of interpreting the 
Bible. They are under the control of 
feeling and emotion, and are liable to 
embrace one opinion to-day, and an- 
other directly opposite, to-morrow. But 
the way to prevent this evil is not by 
attempting to give to a community an 
authoritative interpretation of the Bible ; 
it is to diffuse abroad just principles, 
that men may obtain from the Bible 
an intelligent view of what it means. 
IF Wrest. Pervert (jstpsptovtiw)* The 
word here used occurs nowhere else in 
the New Testament. It is derived 
from a word meaning a windlass, winch, 
instrument of torture (crtfpgjStoJ), and 
means to roll or wind on a windlass ; 
then to wrench, or turn away, as by 
the force of a windlass; and then to 
wrest or pervert. It implies a turning 
out of the way by the application of 
force. Here the meaning is, that they 



II. PETER. [A.D. 66. 

Scriptures, unto their own de- 
struction. 



apply those portions of the Bible to a 
purpose for which they were never in- 
tended. It is doubtless true that this 
may occur. Men may abuse and per- 
vert any thing that is good. But the 
way to prevent this is not to set up a 
pretended infallible interpreter. With 
all the perversities arising from igno- 
rance in the interpretation of the Bible ; 
in all the crude, and weak, and fanciful 
expositions which could be found among 
those who have interpreted the Scrip- 
tures for themselves — and they are 
many — if they were all collected toge- 
ther, there would not be found so many 
adapted to corrupt and ruin the soul, 
as have come from the interpretations 
attempted to be palmed upon the world 
by the one church that claims to be 
the infallible expounder of the word 
of God. Tf As they do also the other 
Scriptures. This is an unequivocal 
declaration of Peter that he regarded 
the writings of Paul as a part of the 
holy Scriptures, and of course that he 
considered him as inspired. The word 
' Scriptures/ as used by a Jew, had a 
technical signification — meaning the 
inspired writings, and was the common 
word which was applied to the sacred 
writings of the Old Testament. As 
Peter uses this language, it implies 
that he regarded the writings of Paul 
as on a level with the Old Testament ; 
and as far as the testimony of one 
apostle can go to confirm the claim of 
another to inspiration, it proves that 
the writings of Paul are entitled to a 
place in the sacred canon. It should 
be remarked, also, that Peter evidently 
speaks here of the common estimate in 
which the writings of Paul were held. 
He addresses these to whom he wrote, 
not in such a way as to declare to them 
that the writings of Paul were to be 
regarded as a part of the inspired vo- 
lume, but as if this were already knowii| 



A. D. 66.] 



CHAPTER III. 



307 



17 Ye therefore, beloved, see- 
ing ye know these tilings before, 
beware lest ye also, being led 
away with the error of the wick- 



and were an admitted point. % Unto 
their own destruction. By embracing 
false doctrines. Error destroys the 
soul ; and it is very possible for a man 
so to read the Bible as only to confirm 
himself in error. He may find pas- 
sages which, by a perverted interpre- 
tation, shall seem to sustain his own 
views, and instead of embracing the 
truth, may live always under delusion, 
and perish at last. It is not to be in- 
ferred that every man who reads the 
Bible, or even every one who under- 
takes to be its public expounder, will 
certainly be saved. 

17. Seeing that ye know these things 
before. Being aware of this danger, 
and knowing that such results may 
follow. Men should read the Bible 
with the feeling that it is possible 
that they may fall into error, and be 
deceived at last. This apprehension 
will do much to make them diligent, 
and candid, and prayerful, in study- 
ing the word of God, IT With the 
error of the wicked. Wicked men. 
Such as he had referred to in ch. ii., 
who became public teachers of religion. 
1 Fall from your own steadfastness. 
Your firm adherence to the truth. The 
particular danger here referred to is not 
that of falling from grace, or from true 
religion, but from the firm and settled 
principles of religious truth, into 
error. 

18. But grow in grace. Comp. 
Col. i. 10. Religion in general is often 
represented as grace, since every part 
of it is the result of grace, or of unme- 
rited favour ; and to « grow in grace' is 
to increase in that which constitutes 
true religion. Religion is as suscepti- 
ble of cultivation and of growth as any 



ed, fall from your own steadfast- 
ness. 

18 But grow a in grace, and 
in the knowledge of our Lord 

a Co. i. 10. 



other virtue of the soul. It is feeble in 
its beginnings, like the grain of mus- 
tard seed, or like the germ or blade of 
the plant, and it increases as it is culti- 
vated. There is no piety in the world 
which is not the result of cultivation, 
and which cannot be measured by the 
degree of care and attention bestowed 
upon it. No one becomes eminently 
pious, any more than one becomes 
eminently learned or rich, who does 
not intend to; and ordinarily men in 
religion are what they design to be. 
They have about as much religion 
as they wish, and possess about the 
character which they intend to possess. 
When men reach extraordinary eleva- 
tions in religion, like Baxter, Payson, 
and Edwards, they have gained only 
what they meant to gain ; and the gay 
and worldly professors of religion, who 
have little comfort and peace, have in 
fact the characters which they designed 
to have. If these things are so, then 
we may see the propriety of the in- 
junction 'to grow in grace;' and then 
too we may see the reason why so fee- 
ble attainments are made in piety by 
the great mass of those who profess 
religion. IT And in the knowledge of 
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
See Notes on John xvii. 3. Comp. 
Notes on Col. i. 10. To know the 
Lord Jesus Christ; to possess just 
views of his person, character, and 
work, is the sum and essence of the 
Christian religion ; and with this in- 
junction, therefore, the apostle appro- 
priately closes this epistle. He who 
has a saving knowledge of Christ, has 
in fact all that is essential to his wel- 
fare in the life that is, and in that 
which is to come ; he who has not this 



308 



II. PETER. 



LA. D. 66. 



and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him b be glory, both now and for 
a 2 Ti. 4. is. ever. Amen. 



knowledge, though he may be distin- 
guished in the learning of the schools, 
and may be profoundly skilled in the 
• sciences, has in reality no knowledge 
that will avail him in the great matters 
pertaining to his eternal welfare. IT To 
him be glory, &c. Comp. Notes, Rom. 
avi, 27. 2 Tim. iv. 18. With the de- 



sire that honour and glory should be 
rendered to the Redeemer, all the aspi- 
rations of true Christians appropriately 
close. There is no wish more deeply 
cherished in their hearts than this ; 
thero is nothing that will enter more 
into their worship in heaven. Comp 
Rev i5J;v 2^, 13 



THE 



FLRST EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. 



INTRODUCTION. 



§ 1. The Authenticity of the Epistle, 

Little need be said respecting the authenticity of this epistle, or the evi- 
dence that it was written by the apostle John. There are, in general, two 
sources of evidence in regard to ancient writings : the external evidence, or that 
which may be derived from the testimony of other writers ; and the evidence 
which may be derived from some marks of the authorship in the writing itself, 
which is called the internal evidence. Both of these are remarkably clear in 
regard to this epistle. 

1. The external evidence. (1.) It is quoted or referred to by the early Chris- 
tian writers as the undoubted production of the apostle John. It is referred to 
by Polycarp in the beginning of the second century ; it is quoted by Papias, 
and also by Irenseus. Origen says, " John, beside the gospel and Revelation, 
has left us an epistle of a few lines. Grant also a second, and a third, for all 
do not allow these to be genuine." See Lardner vi. 275, and Liicke, Einlei. i. 
Dionysius of Alexandria admitted the genuineness of John's first epistle ; so 
also did Cyprian. All the three epistles were received by Athanasius, by Cyril 
of Jerusalem, and by Epiphanius. Eusebius says, "Beside his gospel, his first 
epistle is universally acknowledged by those of the present time, and by the an- 
cients; but the other two are contradicted." (2.) It is found in the old Syriac 
version, probably made in the first century, though the second and third epistles 
are hot there. (3.) The genuineness of the first epistle was never extensively 
called in question, and it was never reckoned among the doubtful or disputed 
epistles. (4.) It was rejected or doubted only by those who rejected his gospel, 
and for the same reasons. Some small sects of those who were called 1 heretics' 
rejected all of the writings of John, because they conflicted with their peculiar 
views, but this was confined to a small number of persons, and never affected 
the general belief of the church. See Liicke, Einlei. 9, seq. 

2. There is strong internal evidence that the same person wrote this epistle 
who was the author of the gospel which bears the same name. The resem- 
blance in the mode of expression, and in the topics referred to, are numerous, 
and at the same time are not such as would be made by one who was attempt' 
ing to imitate the language of another. The allusions of this kind, moreover, 
are to what is peculiar in the gospel of John, and not to what is common to 
that gospel and the other three. There is nothing in the epistle which would 



CCCX INTRODUCTION. 

particularly remind us of the gospel of Matthew, or Mark, or Luke ; but it is 
impossible to read it and not be reminded constantly of the gospel by John. 
Among those passages and expressions the following may be referred to : 

EPISTLE. GOSPEL. 

Chapter i. 1 compared with Chapter i. 1,4, 14. 

ii. 5 xiv. 23. 

ii. 6 xv. 4. 

ii. 8 ; iii. 11 xiii. 34. 

ii. 8, 10 i. 5, 9; xi. I© 

ii. 13, 14 xvii. 3. 

iii. 1 i. 12. 

iii. 2 xvii. 24. 

iii. 8 viii. 44. 

iii. 13 xv. 20. 

iv. 9 iii. 16. 

iv. 12 i. 18. 

v. 13 xx. 31. 

v. 14 xiv. 14. 

v. 20 xvii. 2. 



This language in the epistle, as will be easily seen by a comparison, is such 
as the real author of the gospel by John would be likely to use if he wrote 
an epistle. The passages referred to are in his style ; they show that the mind 
of the author of both was turned to the same points, and those not such points 
as might be found in all writers, but such as indicated a peculiar mode of 
thinking. They are not such expressions as Matthew, or Mark, or Luke, or 
Paul, would have used in an epistle, but just such as we should expect from the 
writer of the gospel of John. It must be clear to any one that either the au- 
thor of the gospel was also the author of this epistle, or that the author of the 
epistle meant to imitate the author of the gospel, and to leave the impression 
that the apostle John was the author. But there are several things which make 
it clear that this is not a forgery, (a) The passages where the resemblance is 
found are not exact quotations, and are not such as a man would make if he 
designed to imitate another. They are rather such as the same man would use 
if he were writing twice on the same subject, and should express himself the 
second time without intending to copy what he had said the first, (b) If it had 
been an intentional fraud or forgery, there would have been some allusion to 
the name or authority of the author ; or, in other words, the author of the epistle 
would have endeavoured to sustain himself by some distinct reference to the 
apostle, or to his authority, or to his well-known characteristics as a teller of 
truth. See John xix. 35; xxi. 24. Comp. 3 John 12. But nothing of the 
kind occurs in this epistle. It is written without disclosing the name of the 
author, or the place where he lived, or the persons to whom it was addressed 
and with no allusions to the gospel, except such as show that the author thought 
in the same manner, and had the same things in his eye, and was intent on the 
same object. It is, throughout, the style and manner of one who felt that his 
method of expressing himself was so well understood that he did not need even 
to mention his own name ; as if, without any thing further, it would be apparent 
from the very epistle itself who had written it, and what right he had to spe&k. 
But this would be a device too refined for forgery. It bears all the marks of 
sincerity and truth- 



INTRODUCTION. 



CCCX1 



§ 2. The time and place of writing the Epistle. 

Almost; nothing is known of the time and place of writing the epistle, and 
nearly all that is said on this point is mere conjecture. Some recent critics 
have supposed that it was in fact a part of the gospel, though in some way it 
afterwards became detached from it ; others that it was sent as an epistle at the 
same time with the gospel, and to the same persons. Some have supposed that 
it was written before the destruction of Jerusalem, and some long after, when 
John was very aged, and these last suppose that they find evidences of 
the very advanced age of the author in the epistle itself, in such characteristics 
as commonly mark the conversation and writings of an old man. An examina- 
tion of these opinions may be found in Lucke, Einlei. Kap. 2 ; and in Hug, 
Intro, p. 456, seq., p. 732, seq. 

There are very few marks of time in the epistle, and none that can deter- 
mine the time of writing it with any degree of certainty. Nor is it of much 
importance that we should be able to determine it. The truths which it con- 
tains, are in the main as applicable to one age as to another, though it cannot 
be denied (see § 3) that the author had some prevailing forms of error in his eye. 
The only marks of time in the epistle by which we can form any conjecture as 
to the period when it was written are the following: (1.) It was in what the 
author calls the last time (h%d'tq wpa). ch. ii. 18. From this expression it might 
perhaps be inferred by some that it was just before the destruction of Jerusalem, 
or that the writer supposed that the end of the world was near. But nothing 
can be certainly determined from this expression in regard to the exact period 
when the epistle was written. This phrase, as used in the Scriptures, denote* 
no more than the last dispensation or economy of things, the dispensation 
under which the affairs of the world would be wound up, though that period 
might be in fact much longer than any one that had preceded it. See Notes on 
Isa. ii. 2. Acts ii. 17. Heb. i. 2. The object of the writer of this epistle, in the 
passage referred to (ch. ii. 18), is merely to show that the closing dispensation 
of the world had actually come ; that is, that there were certain things which 
it was known would mark that dispensation, which actually existed then, and 
by which it could be known that they were living under the last, or closing 
period of the world. (2.) It is quite evident that the epistle was composed 
after the gospel by John was published. Of this no one can have any doubt 
who will compare the two together, or even the parallel passages referred to 
above, § 1. The gospel is manifestly the original; and it was evidently pre- 
sumed by the writer of the epistle that the gospel was in the hands of those to 
whom he wrote. The statements there made are much more full ; the circum- 
stances in which many of the peculiar doctrines adverted to were first advanced 
are detailed ; and the writer of the epistle clearly supposed that all that was ne- 
cessary in order to an understanding of these doctrines was to state them in the 
briefest manner, and almost by mere allusion. On this point Lucke well re- 
marks, < the more brief and condensed expression of the same sentiment by the 
same author, especially in regard to peculiarities of idea and language, is always 
the later one ; the more extended statement, the unfolding of the idea, is an 
evidence of an earlier composition.* Einlei. p. 21. Yet while this is clear, it 
determines little or nothing about the time when the epistle was written, for it 
is a matter of great uncertainty when the gospel itself was composed. Wetstein 
supposes that it was soon after the ascension of the Saviour; Dr. Lardner that 
it was about the year 68 ; and Mill and Le Clerc that it was about the year 97 



eccxii 



INTRODUCTION. 



In this uncertainty, therefore, nothing can be determined absolutely from this 
circumstance in regard to the time of writing the epistle. (3.) The only other 
note of time on which any reliance has been placed is the supposed fact that 
there were indications in the epistle itself of the great age of the author, or 
evidences that he was an old man, and that consequently it was written near 
the close of the life of John. There is some evidence in the epistle that it was 
written when the author was an old man, though none that he was in his dotage, 
as Eichhorn and some others have maintained. The evidence that he was even 
an old man is not positive, but there is a certain air and manner in the epistle, 
in its repetitions, and its want of exact order, and especially in the style in 
which he addresses those to whom he wrote, as little children — tsxvia — (ch. ii. 
1, 12, 28; iii. 7, 18 ; iv. 4 ; v. 21) which would seem to be appropriate only 
to an aged man. Comp. Lucke Einlei. pp. 23, 24, and Prof. Stuart in Hug's 
Intro, pp. 732, 733. 

As little is known about the place where the epistle was written as about the 
time. There are no local references in it ; no allusions to persons or opinions 
which can help us to determine where it was written. As John spent the latter 
part of his life, however, in Ephesus and its vicinity, there is no impropriety in 
supposing that it was written there. Nothing, in the interpretation of the epistle, 
depends on our being able to ascertain the place of its composition. Hug sup- 
poses that it was written in Patmos, and was sent as a letter accompanying 
his gospel, to the church at Ephesus. Intro. § 69. Lucke supposes that it was 
a circular epistle addressed to the churches in Asia Minor, and sent frorEi Ephe- 
sus. Einlei. p. 27. 

To whom the epistle was written is also unknown. It bears no rnscription, 
as many of the other epistles of the New Testament do, and as even the second 
and third of John do, and there is no reference to any particular c)<ass of per- 
sons by which it can be determined for whom it was designed. Nor is it kiiown 
why the name of the author was not attached to it, or why the persons for 
whom it was designed were not designated. All that can be determined on this 
subject from the epistle itself is the following : (1.) It seems to have been ad- 
dressed to no particular church, but rather to have been of a circular character, 
designed for the churches in a region of country where certain dangerous opinions 
prevailed. (2.) The author presumed that it would be known who wrote it, 
either by the style, or by the sentiments, or by its resemblance to his other writ- 
ings, or by the messenger who bore it, so that it was unnecessary to affix his* 
name to it. (3.) It appears to have been so composed as to be adapted to any 
people where those errors prevailed ; and hence it was thought better to give it 
a general direction, that all might feel themselves to be addressed, than to desig- 
nate any particular place or church. There is, indeed, an ancient tradition that 
it was written to the Parthians. Since the time of Augustine this has been the 
uniform opinion in the Latin church. Venerable Bede remarks that «many of 
the ecclesiastical writers, among whom is St. Athanasius, testify that the first 
epistle of John was written to the Parthians.' Various conjectures have been 
made as to the origin of this opinion, and of the title which the epistle bears in 
many of the Latin MSS. (ad Parthos), but none of them are satisfactory. No 
such title is found in the epistle itself, nor is there any intimation in it to whom 
it was directed. Those who are disposed to examine the conjectures which 
have been made in regard to the origin of the title may consult Lucke, Enlei. 
p. 28, seq. No reason can be assigned why it should have been sent to tha 
Parthians, nor is there any sufficient evidence to suppose that it was. 



INTRODUCTION. 



CCCX1U 



§ 3. The object of the Epistle. 

ft is evident from the epistle itself that there were some prevailing errors 
».Aong those to whom it was written, and that one design of the writer was to 
counteract those errors. Yet very various opinions have heen entertained in 
regard to the nature of the errors that were opposed, and the persons whom the 
writer had in his eye. Loeffler supposes that Jews and Judaizers are the per- 
sons opposed ; Semler, Tittman, Knapp, and Lange suppose that they were 
Judaizing Christians, and especially Ebionites, or apostate Christians ; Mi- 
chaelis, Kleuker, Paulus, and others, suppose that the Gnostics are referred to ; 
others, as Schmidt, Liicke, Vitringa, Bertholdt, Prof. Stuart, suppose that the 
Docetae was the sect that was principally opposed. 

It is impossible now to determine with accuracy to whom particularly the 
writer referred, nor could it be well done without a more accurate knowledge 
than we now have of the peculiarities of the errors which prevailed in the time 
of the author, and among the people to whom he wrote. AH that we can learn 
on the subject that is certain, is to be derived from the epistle itself, and there 
the intimations are few, but they are so clear that we may obtain some know- 
ledge to guide us. 

1. The persons referred to had been professing Christians, and were now 
apostates from the faith. This is clear from ch. ii. 19. "They went out from 
us, but they were not of us," &c. They had been members of the church, but 
they had now become teachers of error. 

2. They were probably of the sect of the Docetae • or if that sect had not 
then formally sprung up, and was not organized, they held the opinions which 
they afterwards embraced. This sect was a branch ofythe great Gnostic fa- 
mily, and the peculiarity of the opinion which they held was that Christ was 
only in appearance and seemingly, but not in reality, a man ; that though he 
seemed to converse, to eat, to suffer, and to die, yet this was merely an appear- 
ancs assumed by the Son of God for important purposes in regard to man. 
He had, according to this view, no real humanity, but though the Son of God 
had actually appeared in the world, yet all this was only an assumed form for 
the purpose of a manifestation to men. The opinions of the Docetes are thus 
represented by Gibbon: "They denied the truth and authenticity of the gos- 
pels, as far as they relate the conception of Mary, the birth of Christ, and the 
thirty years which preceded the first exercise of his ministry. He first ap- 
peared on the banks of the Jordan in the form of perfect manhood ; but it was 
a form only, end not a substance ; a human figure created by the hand of Om- 
nipotence to imitate the faculties and actions of a man, and to impose a per- 
petual illusion on the senses of his friends and enemies. Articulate sounds 
vibrated on the ears of his disciples ; but the image which was impressed on 
their optic nerve, eluded the more stubborn evidence of the touch, and they 
enjoyed the spiritual, but not the corporeal presence of the Son of God. The 
rage of the Jews was idly wasted against an impassive phantom, and the mys 
tic scenes of the passion and death, the resurrection and ascension of Christ 
were represented on the theatre of Jerusalem for the benefit of mankind/ 
Die. L. Fall, vol. iii. p. 245, Ed. N. York, 1829. Cornp. vol. i. 440. 

That these views began to prevail in the latter part of the first century, there 
can be no reason to rioubt, and there can be as little doubt that the author of 
this epistle had this doctrine in his eye, and that he deemed it to be of special 
importance in this epistle, as he had done in his gospel, to show that the San 
2? 



cccxiv 



INTRODUCTION. 



of God had actually come in the flesh; that he was truly and properly a man, 
that he lived and died in reality, and not in appearance only. Hence the allu- 
eion to these views in such passages as the following: "That which was from 
the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which 
we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life — that 
which we have seen and heard declare we unto you." ch. i. 1, 3. " Many 
false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know we the spirit of God. 
Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God ; 
and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not 
of God ; and this is that spirit of Antichrist whereof ye have heard that it 
should come." ch. iv. 1—3. Comp. vs. 9, 14, 15; v. 1. 6, 10, M, 32. John 
had written his gospel to show that Jesus was the Christ (ch. xx. 31) ; he had 
furnished ample proof that he was divine, or was equal with the Father (ch. i, 
1 — 14), and also that he was truly a man (ch. xv. 25 — 28) ; but still it seemed 
proper to furnish a more unequivocal statement that he had actually appeared 
in the flesh, not in appearance only but in reality, and this purpose evidently 
was a leading design of this epistle. 

The main scope of the epistle, the author has himself stated in ch. v. 13. 
" These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of 
God ; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on 
the name of the Son of God that is, that you may have just views of him, 
and exercise an intelligent faith. 

In connection with this general design, and keeping in view the errors to 
which they to whom the epistle was written were exposed, there are two lead- 
ing trains of thought, though often intermingled, in the epistle, (a) The au- 
thor treats of the doctrine that Jesus is the Christ, and (b) the importance of 
love as an evidence of being united to him, or of being true Christians. Both 
these things are characteristic of John ; they agree with the design for which 
he wrote his gospel, and they were in accordance with his peculiarity of mind 
as « the beloved disciple/ the disciple whose heart was full of love, and who made 
religion consist much in that. 

The main characteristics of this epistle are these; (1.) It is full of love. The 
writer dwells on it ; places it in a variety of attitudes ; enforces the duty of 
loving one another by a great variety of considerations, and shows that it is 
essential to the very nature of religion. (2.) The epistle abounds with state- 
ments on the evidences of piety, or the characteristics of true religion. The 
author seems to have felt that those to whom he wrote were in danger of em- 
bracing false notions of religion, and of being seduced by the abettors of error. 
He is therefore careful to lay down the characteristics of real piety, and to show 
in what it essentially consists. A large part of the epistle is occupied with 
this, and there is perhaps no portion of the New Testament which one could 
study to more advantage who is desirous of ascertaining whether he himself is 
i true Christian. An anxious inquirer, a man who wishes to know what true 
religion is, could be directed to no portion of the New Testament where he 
would more readily find the instruction that he needs, than to this portion of 
the writings of the aged and experienced disciple whom Jesus loved. A true 
Christian can find nowhere else a more clear statement of the nature of his re* 
ligion, and of the evidences of real piety than in this epistle. 



THE FIRST 

EPISTLE GENERAL OE JOHN. 



CHAPTER I. 

THAT which was from the a 
beginning, which we have 

a Jno. 1. 1, &c, 

CHAPTER I. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This short chapter embraces the fol- 
lowing subjects : I. A strong affirma- 
tion that the Son of God, or the < Life' 
had appeared in the flesh, vs. 1 — 3. 
The evidence of this, the writer says, 
was that he had seen him, heard him, 
handled him ; that is, he had had all 
the evidence which could be furnished 
by the senses. His declaration on this 
point he repeats, by putting the state- 
ment into a variety of forms, for he 
Beems to regard it as essential to true 
religion. II. He says that he wrote to 
them, in order that they might have 
fellowship with him in the belief of 
this truth, and might partake of the 
joy which flows from the doctrine that 
the Son of God has actually come in 
the flesh, vs. 3, 4. III. He states that 
the sum and substance of the whole 
message which he had to bring to them 
was, that God is light, and that if we 
profess to have fellowship with him we 
must walk in the light, vs. 5 — 10. (a) 
In God is no darkness, no impurity, no 
sin. ver. 5. (b) If we are in darkness, 
if we are ignorant and sinful, it proves 
that we cannot have any fellowship 
with him. ver. 6. (c) If we walk in 
the light as he is in the light ; if we 
partake of his character and spirit, then 



heard, which we have seen 4 with 
our eyes, which we have looked 
upon, and our hands have ' 
handled, of the Word of life ; 

b 2 Pe. 1. 16. c Lu. 24, 39. 



we shall have fellowship one with an 
other, and we may believe that the 
blood of Christ will cleanse us from all 
sin. ver. 7. (d) Yet we are to guard 
ourselves from one point of danger, we 
are not to allow ourselves to feel that 
we have no sin. We are to bear with 
us the constant recollection that we are 
sinners, and are to permit that fact to 
produce its proper impression on our 
minds, vs. 8, 10. (e) Yet, we are not 
to be desponding though we do feel 
this, but are to remember, that if we 
will truly confess our sins he will be 
found faithful to his promises, and just 
to the general arrangements of grace, 
by which our sins may be forgiven, 
ver. 9. 

1 . That which was from the begin- 
ning. There can be no doubt that the 
reference here is to the Lord Jesus 
Christ, or the ' Word' that was made 
flesh. See Notes on John i. 1. This 
is such language as John would use 
respecting him, and indeed the phrase 
* the beginning/ as applicable to the 
Lord Jesus, is peculiar to John in the 
writings of the New Testament, and 
the language here may be regarded as 
one proof that this epistle was written 
by him, for it is just such an expres- 
sion as he would use, but not such as 
one would be likely to adopt who should 
attempt to palm off his own writings* 
(315) 



S16 



I. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



as those of John. One who should 
have attempted that would have been 
likely to introduce the name John 
'in the beginning of the epistle, or in 
some way to have claimed his authority. 
The apostle, in speaking of 1 that which 
was from the beginning/ uses a word 
in the neuter gender instead of the 
masculine (6). It is not to be supposed, 
I think, that he meant to apply this 
term directly to the Son of God, for if 
he had he would have used the mascu- 
line pronoun ; but though he had the 
Son of God in view, and meant to make 
a strong affirmation respecting him, yet 
the particular thing here referred to was 
whatever there was respecting that in- 
carnate Saviour that furnished testi- 
mony to any of the senses, or that per- 
tained to his character and doctrine, he 
had borne witness to. He was looking 
rather at the evidence that he was in- 
carnate ; the proofs that he was mani- 
fested ; and he says that those proofs 
had been subjected to the trial of the 
senses, and he had borne witness to 
them, and now did it again. This is 
what is referred to, it seems to me, by 
the phrase < that which' (6'). The 
sense may be this : « Whatever there 
was respecting the Word of life, or 
him who is the. living Word, the incar- 
nate Son of God, from the very begin- 
ning, from the time when he was first 
manifested in the flesh ; whatever there 
was respecting his exalted nature, his 
dignity, his character, that could be 
subjected to the testimony of the senses, 
to be the object of sight, or hearing, or 
touch, that I was permitted to see, and 
that I declare to you respecting him.' 
John claims to be a competent witness 
in reference to every thing which oc- 
curred as a manifestation of what the 
Son of God was. If this be the correct 
interpretation, then the phrase <from 
the beginning' (art' 0Lp%y}$) does not here 
refer to his eternity, or his being in the 
beginning of all things, as the phrase 
4 in the beginning' (sV olp^) does in 
John i : 1 ; but rather means from the 



very commencement of his manifesta* 
Hon as the Son of God, the very first 
indications on earth of what he was as 
the Messiah. When the writer says, 
(ver. 3) that he « declares' this to them, 
it seems to me that he has not reference 
merely to what he would say in this 
epistle, for he does not go extensively 
into it here, but that he supposes that 
they had his gospel in their possession, 
and that he also means to refer to that, 
or presumes that they were familiar 
with the testimony which he had borne 
in that gospel respecting the evidence 
that the « Word became flesh." Many 
have indeed supposed that this epistle 
accompanied the gospel when it was 
published, and was either a part of it 
that became subsequently detached from 
it, or was a letter that accompanied it. 
See Hug. Intro. P. II. § 68. There 
is, it seems to me, no certain evidence 
of that; but no one can doubt that 
he supposed that those to whom he 
wrote had access to that gospel, and 
that he refers here to the testimony 
which he had borne in that respecting 
the incarnate Word. 1T Which we have 
heard. John was with the Saviour 
through the whole of his ministry, and 
he has recorded more that the Saviour 
said than either of the other Evange- 
lists. It is on what he said of him- 
self that he grounds much of the evi- 
dence that he was the Son of God. 
IT Which we have seen with our eyes. 
That is, pertaining to his person, and 
to what he did. <I have seen him; 
seen what he was as a man ; how he 
appeared on earth ; and I have seen 
whatever there was in his works to in- 
dicate his character and origin.' John 
professes here to have seen enough in 
this respect as to furnish evidence that 
he was the Son of God. It is not 
hearsay on which he relies, but he had 
the testimony of his own eyes in the 
case. Comp. Notes on 2 Pet. i. 16, 
IT Which we have looked, upon. The 
word here used seems designed to be 
more emphatic or intensive than the 



A. D. 90.] CHAPTER L 317 

2 (For the Life was manifest- ed, and we have seen it, and 



one before occurring. He had just said 
that he had < seen him with his eyes/ 
but he evidently designs to include an 
idea in this word which would imply 
something more than mere beholding 
or seeing. The additional idea which 
is couched in this word seems to be 
that of desire or pleasure ; that is, that 
he had looked on him with desire, or 
satisfaction, or with the pleasure with 
which one beholds a beloved object. 
Comp. Matt. xi. 7. Luke vii. 24. John 
i. 14 ; x. 45. See Rob. Lex, There was 
an intense and earnest gaze, as when we 
behold one whom we have desired to see, 
or when one goes out purposely to look 
on an object. The evidences of the in- 
carnation of the Son of God had been 
subjected to such an intense and earnest 
gaze. IT And our hands have handled. 
That is, the evidence that he was a 
man was subjected to the sense of 
touch. It was not merely that he had 
been seen by the eye, for then it might 
be pretended that this was a mere ap- 
pearance assumed without reality or 
that what occurred might have been a 
mere optical illusion ; but the evidence 
that he appeared in the flesh was sub- 
jected to more senses than one ; to the 
fact that his voice was heard ; that he 
was seen with the eyes ; that the most 
intense scrutiny had been employed ; 
and, lastly, that he had been actually 
touched and handled, showing that it 
could not have been a mere appear- 
ance, an assumed form, but that it was 
a reality. This kind of proof that the 
Son of God had appeared in the flesh, 
or that he was truly and properly a 
man, is repeatedly referred to in the 
New Testament. Luke xxiv. 39. "Be- 
hold my hands and my feet, that it is 
I myself : handle me and see ; for a 
spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye 
see me have." Comp. John xx. 25 — 
27. There is evident allusion here to 
the opinion which early prevailed, 
27* 



which was held by the Docetes, that 
the Son of God did not truly and really 
become a. man, but that there was only 
an appearance assumed, or that he 
seemed to be a man. See the Intro., § 3. 
It was, evidently, with reference to this 
opinion which began early to prevail, 
that the apostle dwells on this point, and 
repeats the idea so much, and shows 
by a reference to all the senses which 
could take any cognizance in the case, 
that he was truly and properly a man. 
The amount of it is, that we have the 
same evidence that he was properly a 
man which we can have in the case of 
any other human being ; the evidence on 
which we constantly act, and in which 
we cannot believe that our senses deceive 
us. *H Of the Word of life. Respecting, 
or pertaining to, the Word of life. « That 
is, whatever there was pertaining to 
the Word of life, which was manifested 
from the beginning in his speech and 
actions, of which the senses could take 
cognizance, and which would furnish 
the evidence that he was truly incar- 
nate, that we have declared unto you.' 
The phrase « the Word of life/ means 
the Word in which life resided, or 
which was the source and fountain of 
life. See Notes on John i. 1, 3. The 
reference is undoubtedly to the Lord 
Jesus Christ. 

2. For the Life was manifested. 
Was made manifest or visible unto us. 
He who was the Life was made known 
to men by the incarnation. He ap- 
peared among men so that they could 
see him and hear him. Though ori^ 
ginally with God, and dwelling witf 
him (John i. 1, 2), yet he came forth 
and appeared among men. Comp. 
Notes on Rom. i. 3. 1 Tim. iii. 16. 
He is the great source of all life, and 
he appeared on the earth, and we had 
an opportunity of seeing and knowing 
what he was. ^ And we have seen it, 
This .repetition, or turning over tha 



318 

bear witness, and show unto you 
that eternal Life, a which was 
with the Father, and wa's mani- 
fested unto us :) 

thought, is designed to express the idea 
with emphasis, and is much in the 
manner of John. See John i. 1 — 3. 
He is particularly desirous of impress- 
ing on them the thought that he had 
been a personal witness of what the 
Saviour was, having had every oppor- 
tunity of knowing it from long and fa- 
miliar intercourse with him. IT And 
bear witness. We testify in regard 
to it. John was satisfied that his own 
character was known to be such that 
credit would be given to what he said. 
He felt that he was known to be a man 
of truth, and hence he never doubts 
that faith would be put in all his state- 
ments. See John xix. 35 ; xxi. 24. 
Rev. i. 2, 3. John 12. IT And show 
unto you that eternal Life. That is, 
we declare unto you what that Life 
was — what was the nature and rank 
of him who was the Life, and how he 
appeared when on earth. He here at- 
tributes eternity to the Son of God — 
implying that he had always been with 
the Father, f Which was with the 
Father. Always before the manifesta- 
tion on the earth. See John i. 1 : 
" The word was with God." This 
passage demonstrates the pre-existence 
of the Son of God, and proves that he 
was eternal. Before he was manifested 
"on earth he had an existence to which 
the word Life could be applied, and 
that was eternal. He is the Author 
of eternal life to us. 1T And was ma- 
nifested unto us. In the flesh ; as a 
man. He who was the Life appeared 
unto men. The idea of John evidently 
is, (1.) That the being here referred to 
was for ever with God ; (2.) That it 
was proper before the incarnation that 
the word Life should be given to him 
as descriptive of his nature ; (3.) That 
there was a manifestation of him who 
«?£g thus called Life, on earth; that 



[A. D. 90. 

3 That which we have seen 
and heard declare we unto you, 
thai ye also may have fellowship 

a Jno. 17. 3. 

he appeared among men ; that he had 
a real existence here, and not a merely 
assumed appearance ; and (4.) That 
the true characteristics of this incarnate 
being could be borne testimony to by 
those who had seen him, and who had 
been long with him. This second verse 
should be regarded as a parenthesis. 

3. That which we have seen and 
heard declare we unto you. We an- 
nounce it, or make it known unto you 
—referring either to what he purposes 
to say in this epistle, or more probably 
embracing all that he had written re- 
specting him, and supposing that his 
gospel was in their hands. He means" 
to call their attention to all the testi- 
mony which he had borne on the sub- 
ject, in order to counteract the errors 
which began to "prevail. IT That ye 
may have fellowship with us. With 
us the apostles ; with us who actually 
saw him, and conversed with him. 
That is, he wished that they might have 
the same belief, and the same hope, 
and the same joy which he himself had, 
arising from the fact the Son of GocT*^ 
had become incarnate, and had appeared 
among men. To ' have fellowship,' 
means to have any thing in common 
with others; to partake of it; to share 
it with them (see Notes on Acts ii. 42) ; 
and the idea here is, that the apostle 
wished that they might share with him 
all the peace and happiness which re- 
sulted from the fact that the Son of 
God had appeared in human form in 
behalf of men. The object of the 
apostle in what he wrote was, that they 
might have the same views of the Sa- 
viour which he had, and partake of the 
same hope and joy. This is the true 
notion of fellowship in religion. *T And 
truly our fellowship is with the Father, 
With God the Father. That is, there 
was something in common with him 



I. JOHN. 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER I. 



319 



with us : and truly our fellow- 

a Jno. 17. 21. 

and God ; something of which he and 
God partook together, or which they 
shared. This cannot, of course, mean 
that his nature was the same as that 
of God, or that in all things he shared 
with God, or that in any thing he was 
equal with God ; but it means that he 
partook, in some respects, of the feel- 
ings, the views, the aims, the joys 
which God has. There was a union 
in feeling, and affection, and desire, 
and plan, and this was to him a source 
of joy. He had an attachment to 
the" same things, loved the same truth, 
desired the same objects, and was en- 
gaged in the same work ; and the con- 
sciousness of this, and the joy which 
attended it, was what was meant by 
fellowship. Comp. Notes on 1 Cor. 
x. 16. 2 Cor. xii. 14. The fellow- 
ship which Christians have with God 
relates to the following points: (1.) 
Attachment to the same truths, and 
the same objects ; love for the same 
principles, and the same beings. (2.) 
The same kind of happiness, though 
not in the same degree. The happi- 
ness of God is found in holiness, truth, 
purity, justice, mercy, benevolence. 
The happiness of the Christian is of 
the same kind that God has ; the same 
kind that angels have ; the same kind 
that he will himself have in heaven — 
for the joy of heaven is only that which 
the Christian has now, expanded to the 
utmost capacity of the soul, and freed 
from all that now interferes with it, 
and prolonged to eternity. (3.) Em- 
ployment, or co-operation with God. 
There is a sphere in which God works 
alone, and in which we can have no 
co-operation, no fellowship with him. 
In the work of creation ; in upholding 
all things; in the government of the 
universe ; in the transmission of light 
from world to world ; in the return of the 
arsons, the rising and setting of the sun, 
th* storms, the tides, the flight of the co- 



ship a is with the Father, and 
with his son Jesus Christ. 

met, we can have no joint agency, no co- 
operation with him. There God works 
alone. But there is also a large sphere 
in which he admits us graciously to a 
co-operation with him, and in which, 
unless we work, his agency will not 
be put forth. This is seen when the 
farmer sows his grain ; when the sur- 
geon binds up a wound ; when we take 
the medicine which God has appointed 
as a means of restoration to health. So 
in the moral world. In our efforts to 
save our own souls and the souls of- 
others, God graciously works with us, 
and unless we work, the object is not 
accomplished. This co-operation is 
referred to in such passages as these : 

< We are labourers together (awspyol) 
with God/ 1 Cor. iii. 9. < The Lord 
working with them? Mark xvi. 20. 

< We then are workers together with 
him.' 2 Cor. vi. 1. « That we might 
be fellow-helpers to the truth/ 3 John 
8. In all such cases, while the effi- 
ciency is of God — alike in exciting us 
to effort, and in crowning the effort 
with success — it is still true that if our 
efforts were not put forth, the work 
would not be done. In this department 
God would not work by himself alone ; 
he would not secure the result by mi- 
racle. (4.) We have fellowship with 
God by direct communion with him, 
in prayer, in meditation, and in the 
ordinances of religion. Of this all true 
Christians are sensible, and this consti- 
tutes no small part of their peculiar 
joy. The nature of this, and the hap- 
piness resulting from it, is much of the 
same nature as the communion of friend 
with friend — of one mind with another 
kindred mind — that to which we owe 
no small part of our happiness in this 
world. (5.) The Christian will have 
fellowship with his God and Saviour 
in the triumphs of the latter day, when 
the scenes of the judgment shall occur, 
and when the Redeemer shall appear 



320 



I. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



4 And these things write we 
unto you, that a our joy may be 
full. 

5 This then is the message 

a Jno. 15. 11. 

that he may be admired and adored by 
assembled worlds. Comp. Notes on 2 
Thess. i. 10. See also Matt. xix. 28. 
Rev. iii. 21. IT And with his Son Je- 
sus Christ, That is, in like manner 
there is much which we have in com- 
mon with the Saviour — in character, 
in feeling, in desire, in spirit, in plan. 
There is a union with him in these 
things, and the consciousness of this 
gives peace and joy. 

4. And these things write we unto 
you. These things respecting him 
who was manifested in the flesh, and 
respecting the results which flow from 
that. IT That our joy may be full. 
This is almost the same language 
which the Saviour used when address- 
ing his disciples as he was about to 
leave them (John xv. 11), and there 
can be little doubt that John had that 
declaration in remembrance when he 
uttered this remark. See Notes on 
that passage. The sense here is, that 
full and clear views of the Lord Jesus, 
and the fellowship with him and with 
each other which would follow from 
that, would be a source of happiness. 
Their joy would be complete if they 
had that" for their real happiness was 
to be found in their Saviour. The 
best editions of the Greek Testament 
now, instead of the common reading 
< our joy/ read 1 your joy.' 

5. This then is the message which 
we have heard of him. This is the 
substance of the announcement (Iriwy- 
ys%la) which we have received of him, 
or which he made to us. The message 
here refers to what he communicated 
as the sum of the revelation which he 
made to man. The phrase < of him' 
(art 1 wwtov) does not mean respecting 
him, or about him, but from him ; thai 
is, this is what we received from his 



which we have heard of him, 
and declare unto you, that God 
is light, h and in him is no dark- 
ness at all. 

J Jno. 1.4, 9. lTi.6. 16. 

preaching; from all that he said, The 
peculiarity, the substance of all that he 
said, may be summed up in the decla- 
ration that God is light, and in the 
consequences which follow from this 
doctrine. He came as the messenger 
of him who is Light ; he came to in- 
culcate and defend the truths which 
flow from that central doctrine, in re- 
gard to sin, to the danger and duty of 
man, to the way of recovery, and to 
the rules by which men ought to live. 
IT That God is light. Light, in the 
Scriptures, is the emblem &f purity, 
truth, knowledge, prosperity, and hap- 
piness ; as darkness is of the opposite. 
John here says that 4 God is light 1 
— not the light, or a light, but light 
itself; that is, he is himself all light, 
and is the source and fountain of light 
in all world-. He is perfectly pure, 
without any admixture of sin. He has 
all knowledge, with no admixture of 
ignorance on any subject. He is infi- 
nitely happy, with nothing to make 
him miserable. He is infinitely true, 
never stating or countenancing error; 
he is blessed in all his ways, never 
knowing the darkness of disappoint- 
ment and adversity. Comp. Notes on 
James i. 17, and John i. 4, 5. 1 Tim. 
vi. 16. IT And in him is no darkness 
at all. This language is much in the 
manner of John, not only affirming 
that a thing is so, but guarding it so 
that no mistake could possibly be made 
as to what he meant. Comp. John i. 
1 — 3. The expression here is designed 
to affirm that God is absolutely perfect ; 
that there is nothing in him which is 
in any way imperfect, or which would 
dim or mar the pure splendour of his 
character, not even as much as the 
smallest spot would on the sun. The 
language is probably designed to guard 



A. D. 90.] CHAPTER I. 321 

6 If we say that we have fel- darkness, we lie, and do not the 
lowship with him, and walk in truth : 

a Jno. 12. 35. 7 But if we walk a in the 



the mind from an error to which it is 
prone, that of charging God with being 
the Author of the sin and misery which 
exist on the earth ; and the apostle 
seems to design to teach that whatever 
was the source of sin and misery, it 
was not in any sense to be charged on 
God. This doctrine that God is a pure 
Light, John lays down as the substance 
of all that he had to teach ; of all that 
he had learned from him who was 
made flesh. It is, in fact, the fountain 
of all just views of truth on the subject 
of religion, and all proper views of reli- 
gion take their origin from this. 

6. If we say that we have fellowship 
with him. If we reckon ourselves 
among his friends, or, in other words, 
if we profess to be like him ; for a pro- 
fession of religion involves the idea of 
having fellowship with God (comp. 
Notes on ver. 3), and he who professes 
that should be like him. IT And walk 
in darkness. Live in sin and error. 
To < walk in darkness,' now commonly 
denotes to be in doubt about our reli- 
gious state, in contradistinction from 
living in the enjoyment of religion. 
That is not, however, probably the 
whole idea here. The leading thought 
is, that if we live in sin, it is a proof 
that our profession of religion is false. 
Desirable as it is to have the comforts 
of religion, yet it is not always true 
that they who do not are not true 
Christians, nor is it true by any means 
that they intend to deceive the world. 
IT We lie. We are false professors; 
we are deceived if we think that we 
can have fellowship with God, and yet 
live in the practice of sin. As God is 
pure, so must we be, if we would be 
his friends. This does not mean ne- 
cessarily that they meant to deceive, 
but that there was an irreconcilable 
contradiction between a life of sin and 
fellowship with God. 1F And do not 



the truth. Do not act truly. The 
profession is a false one. Comp. Notes 
on John iii. 22. To do the truth is to 
act in accordance with truth, and the 
expression here means that such an one 
could not be a Christian. And yet, 
how many there are who are living in 
known sin who profess to be Chris- 
tians ! How many whose minds are 
dark on the whole subject of religion ; 
who have never known any thing of 
the real peace and joy which it imparts, 
who nevertheless entertain the belief 
that they are the friends of God, and 
are going to heaven ! They trust in a 
name, in forms, in conformity to exter- 
nal rites, and have never known any 
thing of the internal peace and purity 
which religion imparts, and in fact 
have never had any true fellowship 
with that God who is light, and in 
whom there is no darkness at all. Re- 
ligion is light ; religion is peace, purity, 
joy ; and though there are cases where 
for a time a true Christian may be left 
to darkness, and have no spiritual joy, 
and be in doubt about his salvation, 
yet still it is a great truth, that unless 
we know by personal experience what 
it is to walk habitually in the light, to 
have the comforts of religion, and to 
experience in our own souls the influ- 
ences which make the heart pure, and 
which bring us into conformity to the 
God who is light, we can have no true 
religion. All else is but a name, which 
will not avail us on the final day. 

7. But if we walk in the light. 
Comp. Notes on ver. 5. Walking in 
the light may include the three follow- 
ing things: (1.) Leading lives of holi- 
ness and purity ; that is, the Christian 
must be characteristically a holy man, 
a light in the world, by his example ; 
(2.) Walking in the truth ; that is, 
embracing the truth in opposition to 
all error of heathenism and infidelity^ 



822 



I JOHN. 



[A. D. 90 



light, as he is in the light, we 
have fellowship one with an- 
other, and the blood a of Jesus 

a Ep. 1. 7. He. 9. 14. 1 Pe. 1. 19. Re. 1. 5. 

and having clear, spiritual views of 
truth, such as the unrenewed never 
have (see 2 Cor. iv. 6. 1 Cor. ii. 9 — 
15. Eph. i. 18); (3.) Enjoying the 
comforts of religion; that is, having 
the joy which religion is fitted to im- 
part, and which it does impart to its 
true friends. Ps. xciv. 19. Isa. lvii. 8. 
2 Cer. i. 3; xiii. 11. Comp. Notes on 
John xii. 35. H As he is in the light. 
In the same kind of light that he has. 
The measure of light which we may 
have is not the same in degree^ but it 
is of the same kind. The true Chris- 
tian in his character and feelings re- 
sembles God. IT We have fellowship 
one with another. As we all partake 
of his feelings and views, we shall re- 
semble each other. Loving the same 
God ; embracing the same views of 
religion ; and living for the same ends, 
we shall of course have much that is 
common to us all, and thus shall have 
fellowship with each other. 1T And. 
the blood of Jesus Christ his Son 
cleanseth us from all sin. See the 
sentiment here expressed fully ex- 
plained in the Notes on Heb. ix. 14. 
When it is said that his blood cleanses 
us from all sin, the expression must 
mean one of two things ; either that it 
is through that blood that all past sin 
b forgiven, or that that blood will ulti- 
mately purify us from all transgression, 
and make us perfectly holy. The 
general meaning is plain, that in regard 
to any and every sin of which we may 
be conscious, there is efficacy in that 
blood to remove it, and to make us 
wholly pure. There is no stain made 
by sin so deep that the blood of Christ 
cannot take it entirely away from the 
soul. The connection here, or the 
reason why this is introduced here, 
seems to be this : The apostle is stating 
tae substance of the message which he 



Christ his Son cleanseth us from 
all sin. 

8 If we say that we have no 



had received, ver. 5. The first, or 
leading part of it was, that God is light, 
and in him is no darkness, and that 
his religion requires that all his fri&nds 
should resemble him by their walking 
in the light. Another, and a material 
part of the same message was, that 
provision was made in his religion for 
cleansing the soul from sin, and mak- 
ing it like God. No system of religion 
intended for man could be adapted to 
his condition which did not contain 
this provision, and this did contain it 
in the most full and ample manner. 
Of course, however, it is meant that 
that blood cleanses from all sin only 
on the conditions on which its efficacy 
can be made available to man — by re- 
pentance for the past, and by a cordial 
reception of the Saviour through faith 
8. If we say that we have no sin. 
It is not improbable that the apostle 
here makes allusion to some error which 
was then beginning to prevail in the 
church. Some have supposed that the 
allusion is to the sect of the Nicolai- 
tanes, and to the views which they 
maintained, particularly that nothing 
was forbidden to the children of God 
under the gospel, and that in the free- 
dom conferred on Christians they were 
at liberty to do what they pleased. Rev. 
ii. 6, 15. It is not certain, however, 
that the allusion is to them, and it is 
not necessary to suppose that there is 
reference to any particular sect that 
existed at that time. The object of the 
apostle is to show that it is implied in 
the very nature of the gospel that we 
are sinners, and that if, on any pre- 
tence, we denied that fact, we utterly 
deceived ourselves. In all ages there 
have been those who have attempted, 
on some pretence, to justify their con- 
duct; who have felt that they did not 
need a Saviour ; who have maintained 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER I. 



323 



sin, a we deceive ourselves, and 
the truth is not in us. 

9 If we confess b our sins, he 

a 1 Ki. 8. 46. Job 25. 4. Ec. 7. 20. Ja. 3. 2. 
b Job 33. 27, 28. Ps. 32. 5. Pr. 28. 13. 



that they had a right to do what they 
pleased ; or who, on pretence of being 
perfectly sanctified, have held that they 
live without the commission of sin. 
To meet these, and all similar cases, 
the apostle atnrms that it is a great ele- 
mentary truth, which on no pretence 
is to be denied, that we are all sinners. 
We are at all times, and in all circum- 
stances, to admit the painful and hu- 
miliating truth thai we are transgress- 
ors of the law of God, and that we 
need, even in our best services, the 
cleansing of the blood of Jesus Christ. 
The fair interpretation of the declara- 
tion here will apply not only to those 
who maintain that they have not been 
guilty of sin in the past, but also to 
those who profess to have become per- 
fectly sanctified, and to live without sin. 
In any and every way, if we say that 
we have no sin we deceive ourselves. 
Comp. Notes on James iii. 2; 1T We 
deceive ourselves. We have wrong 
views about our character. This does 
not mean that the self-deception is wil- 
ful, but that it in fact exists. No man 
knows himself who supposes that in all 
respects he is perfectly pure. IT And the 
truth is not in us. On this subject. A 
man who should maintain that he had 
never committed sin, could have no just 
views of the truth in regard to himself, 
and would show that he was in utter 
error. In like manner, according to the 
obvious interpretation of this passage, he 
who maintains that he is wholly sanc- 
tified, and lives without any sin, shows 
that he is deceived in regard to himself, 
and that the truth, in this respect, is 
not in him. He may hold the truth 
on other subjects, but he does not on 
this. The very nature of the Christian 
religion supposes that we feel ourselves 
to be sinners, and that we should be 



is faithful and just to forgive us 
our sins, and to cleanse us from 
all unrighteousness. 

c Ps. 51. 2. 1 Co. 6. 11. 



ever ready to acknowledge it. A man 
who claims that he is absolutely per- 
fect, that he is holy as God is holy, 
must know little of his own heart. 
Who, after all his reasoning on the 
subject, would dare to go out under the 
open heaven, at midnight, and lift up 
his hands and his eyes towards the 
stars, and say that he had no sin to 
confess — that he was as pure as the 
God that made those stars 1 

9. If we confess our sins. Pardon, 
in the Scriptures, always supposes that 
there is confession, and there is no 
promise that it will be imparted unless 
a full acknowledgment has been made. 
Comp. Ps. li. ; xxxii. Luke xv. 18, seq. ; 
vii. 41, seq. Prov. xxviii. 13. IT He is 
faithful. To his promises. He will 
do what he has assured us he will do 
in remitting them. H And just to for- 
give us our sins. The word just here 
cannot be used in a strict and proper 
sense, since the forgiveness of sins is 
never an act of justice, but is an act of 
mercy. If it were an a\t of justice it 
could be demanded or enforced, and 
that is the same as to say that it is not 
forgiveness, for in that case there could 
have been no sin to be pardoned. But 
the word just is often used in a larger 
sense, as denoting upright, equitable, 
acting properly in the circumstances 
of the case, &c. Comp. Notes on 
Matt. i. 19. Here the word may be 
used in one of the following senses: 
(1.) Either as referring to his general 
excellence of character, or his disposi- 
tion to do what is proper ; that is, 
he is one who will act in every way 
as becomes God ; or (2.) That he will 
be just in the sense that he will be 
true to his promises ; or that, since he 
has promised to pardon sinners, he will 
be found faithfully to adhere to those 



324 



1. JOHN. 



[A. D. 00. 



10 If we say that we have not 



engagements; or perhaps (3.) That he 
will be just to his Son in the covenant 
of redemption, since, now that an 
atonement has been made by him, and 
a way has been opened through his 
sufferings by which God can consist- 
ently pardon, and with a view and an 
understanding that he might and would 
pardon, it would be an act of injustice 
to him if he did not pardon those who 
believe on him. Viewed in either as- 
pect, we may have the fullest assurance 
that God is ready to pardon us if we 
exercise true repentance and faith. No 
one can come to God without finding 
him ready to do all that is appropriate 
for a God to do in pardoning trans- 
gressors ; no one who will not, in fact, 
receive forgiveness if he repents, and 
believes, and makes confession ; no one 
who will not find that God is just to 
his Son in the covenant of redemption, 
in pardoning and saving all who put 
their trust in the merits of his sacrifice. 
IF And to cleanse us from all unright- 
eousness. By forgiving all that is past, 
treating us as if we were righteous, 
and ultimately by removing all the 
stains of guilt from the soul. 

10. If we say that we have not 
sinned. In times that are past. Some 
perhaps might be disposed to say this, 
and as the apostle is careful to guard 
every point, he here states that if a man 
should take the ground that his past 
life had been wholly upright, it would 
prove that he had no true religion. 
The statement here respecting the past 
seems to prove that when, in ver. 8, he 
refers to the present — < if we say we 
have no sin' — he meant to say that if 
a man should claim to be perfect, or to 
be wholly sanctified, it would demon- 
strate that he deceived himself; and 
the two statements go to prove that 
neither in reference to the past nor 
the present can any one lay claim to 
perfection. IT We make him a liar. 



sinned, we make him a liar, and 
his word is not in us. 



Because he has every where affirmed 
the depravity of all the race. Comp. 
Notes on Rom. i. ii. iii. On no point 
have his declarations been more posi- 
tive and uniform than on the fact of 
the universal sinfulness of man. Comp. 
Gen. vi. 11, 12. Job xiv. 4; xv. 16. 
Ps. xiv. 1, 2, 3 ; li. 5; lviii. 3. Rom. 
iii. 9—20. Gal. iii. 21. 1 And his 
word is not in us. His truth ; that is, 
we have no true religion. The whole 
system of Christianity is based on the 
fact that man is a fallen being, and 
needs a Saviour ; and unless a man 
admits that, of course he cannot be a 
Christian. 

REMARKS. 

(1.) The importance of the doctrine 
of the incarnation of the Son of God. 
vs. 1, 2. On that doctrine the apostle 
lays great stress; begins his epistle 
with it ; presents it in a great variety 
of forms ; dwells upon it as if he would 
not have it forgotten or misunderstood. 
It has all the importance which he at- 
tached to it, for (a) it is the most won- 
derful of all the events of which we 
have any knowledge ; (#) it is the most 
deeply connected with our welfare, 

(2.) The intense interest which true 
piety always takes in this doctrine, vs. 
1, 2. The feelings of John on the 
subject are substantially the feelings of 
all true Christians. The world passes 
it by in unbelief, or as if it were of no 
importance ; but no true Christian can 
look at the fact that the Son of God 
became incarnate but with the deepest 
emotion. 

(3.) It is an object of ardent desire 
with true Christians that all others 
should share their joys. vs. 3, 4. There 
is nothing selfish, or narrow, or exclu- 
sive in true religion, but every sincere 
Christian who is happy desires Vz.?t all 
others should be happy too. 

(4.) Wherever there is true fellow 



A.D. 90.] 



CHAPTER I. 



335 



ship with God, there is with all true 
Christians, vs. 3, 4. There is but one 
church, one family of God ; and as all 
true Christians have fellowship with 
God, they must have with each other. • 
(5.) Wherever there is true fellow- 
ship with Christians there is with God 
himself, vs. 3, 4. If we love his people, 
share their joys, labour with them in 
j romoting his cause, and love the things 
which they love, we shall show that we 
love him. There is but one God, and 
one church ; and if all the members 
love each other they will love their 
common God and Saviour. An evi- 
dence, therefore, that we love Christians 
becomes an evidence that we love 
God. 

(6.) It is a great privilege to be a 
Christian, vs. 3, 4. If we are Chris- 
< tjans we are associated with (a) God 
the Father ; (b) with his Son Jesus 
Christ ; (c) with all his redeemed on 
earth and in heaven ; (c?) with all holy 
angels. There is one bond of fellow- 
ship that unites all together ; and what 
a privilege it is to be united in the 
eternal bonds of friendship with all the 
holy minds in the universe ! 

(7.) If God is light (ver. 5), then all 
that occurs is reconcilable with the 
idea that he is worthy of confidence. 
What he does may seem to be dark to 
us, but we may be assured that it is all 
light with him. A cloud may come 
between us and the sun, but beyond 
the cloud the sun shines with un- 
dimmed splendour, and soon the cloud 
itself will pass away. At midnight it 
is dark to us, but it is not because the 
sun is shorn of his beams, or is extin- 
guished. He will rise again upon our 
hemisphere in the fulness of his glory, 
and all the darkness of the cloud and 
of midnight is reconcilable with the 
idea that the sun is a bright orb, and 
that in him is no darkness at all. So 
with God. We may be under a cloud 
of sorrow and of trouble, but above 
that the glory of God shines with 
splendour, and soon that cloud will 
28 



pass away, and reveal him in the full- 
ness of his beauty and truth. 

(8.) We should, therefore, at all 
times, exercise a cheerful confidence in 
God. ver. 5 Who supposes that the 
sun is never again to shine when the 
cloud passes over it, or when the shades 
of midnight have settled down upon 
the world 1 We confide in that sun 
that it will shine again when the cloud 
has passed off, and when the shades of 
night have been driven away. So let 
us confide in God, for with more abso- 
lute certainty we shall yet see him to 
be light, and shall come to a world 
where there is no cloud. 

(9.) We may look cheerfully onward 
to heaven, ver. 5. There all is light. 
There we shall see God as he is. Well 
may we then bear with our darkness a 
little longer, for soon we shall bo 
ushered into a world where there is no 
need of the sun or the stars ; where 
there is no darkness, no night. 

(10.) Religion is elevating in its na- 
ture, vs. 6, 7. It brings us from a 
world of darkness to a world of light. 
It scatters the rays of light on a thou- 
sand dark subjects, and gives promise 
that all that is now obscure will yet 
become clear as noonday. Wherever 
there is true religion the mind emerges 
more and more into light ; the scales 
of ignorance and error pass away. 

(11.) There is no sin so great that 
it may not be removed by the blood of 
the atonement, ver. 7, last clause. This 
blood has shown its efficacy in the 
pardon of all the great sinners who 
have applied to it, and its efficacy is as 
great now as it was when it was applied 
to the first sinner that was saved. No 
one, therefore, however great his sins, 
need hesitate about applying to the 
blood of the cross, or fear that his sins 
are so great that they cannot be taken 
away. 

(12.) The Christian will yet be made 
wholly pure. ver. 7, last clause. It is 
of the nature of that blood which the 
Redeemer shed that it ultimately cleanses 



I 



828 



L JOHN. 



[A. D. 90 



the soul entirely from sin. The pros- 
pect before the true Christian that he 
will become perfectly holy is absolute, 
and whatever else may befal him he is 
sure that he will yet be holy as God is 
holy. 

(13.) There is no use in attempting 
to conceal our offences, ver. 8. They 
are known, all known, to one Being, 
and they will at some future period all 
be disclosed. We cannot hope to evade 
punishment by hiding them ; we cannot 
hope for impunity because we suppose 
they may be passed over as if unob- 
served. No man can escape on the 
presumption either that his sins are un- 
known, or that they are unworthy of 
notice. 

(14.) It is manly to make confession 
fhen we have sinned, vs. 9, 10. All 
meanness was in doing the wrong, not 
in confessing it; what we should be 
ashamed of is that we are guilty, not 
that confession is to be made. When 
a wrong has been done there is no no- 
bleness in trying to conceal it; and as 
there is no nobleness in such an at- 
tempt, so there could be no safety. 

(15.) Peace of mind, when wrong 
kas been done, can be found only in 
confession, vs. 9, 10. That is what 
nature prompts to when we have done 
wrong, if we would find peace, and 
that the religion of grace demands. 
When a man has done wrong, the least 
that he can do is to make confession, 
and when that is done, and the wrong 
is pardoned, all is done that can be to 
restore peace to the soul. 

(16.) The ease of salvation, ver. 9. 
What more easy terms of salvation 
could we desire than an acknowledg- 
ment of our sins'? No painful sacri- 
fice is demanded ; no penance, pilgrim- 
age, or voluntary scourging : all that is 
required is that there should be an ac- 
knowledgment of sin at the foot of 
the cross, and if this is done with a 
true heart the offender will be saved. 
If a man is not willing to do this, why 
should he be saved 1 How can he be 1 \ 



CHAPTER II. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

The subjects which are introduced 
into this chapter are the following: 

I. A statement of the apostle that 
the great object which he* had in writ- 
ing to them was that they should not 
sin, and yet if they sinned, and were 
conscious that they were guilty before 
God, they should not despair, for they 
had an advocate with the Father who 
had made propitiation for the sins of 
the world, vs. 1, 2. This is properly 
a continuation of what he had said 
in the close of the previous chapter, 
and should not have been separated 
from that. II. The evidence that we 
know God, or that we are his true 
friends, is to be found in the fact that 
we keep his commandments, vs. 3 — 6. 
III. The apostle says that what he 
had been saying was no new com- 
mandment, but was what they had al- 
ways heard concerning the nature of 
the gospel ; but though in this respect 
the law of love which he meant par- 
ticularly to enforce, was no new com- 
mandment, none which they had not 
heard before ; yet in another respect it 
was a new commandment, for it was 
one which in its peculiarity was origin- 
ated by the Saviour, and which he 
meant to make the characteristic of his 
religion, vs. 7 — 11. A large part of 
the epistle is taken up in explaining and 
enforcing this commandment requiring 
love to the brethren. IV. The apostle 
specifies (vs. 12 — 14) various reasons 
why he had written to them — reasons 
derived from the peculiar character of 
different classes among them -7- little 
children, fathers, young men. V. Each 
of these classes he solemnly commands 
not to love the world, or the things that 
are in the world, for that which con- 
stitutes the peculiarity of the < world' 
as such is not of the Father, and all 
< that there is in the world is soon to 
pass away.' vs. 15 — 17. VI. He calls 
their attention to the fact that the clos- 



A. D. 90.] CHAPTER EL 327 

CHAPTER II. we have an advocate a with the 

MY little children, these things Father, Jesus Christ the right- 
write I unto you, that ye eous : 
Bin not. And if any man sin, aRo.8. 34. He. 7. 25. 



ing dispensation of the world had come. 
Vs. IS — 20. The evidence of this was, 
that antichrist had appeared. VII. He 
calls their attention to the characteristics 
of the antichrist. The essential thing 
would be that antichrist would deny 
that Jesus was the Christ, involving a 
practical denial of both the Father and 
the Son. Persons of this character 
were abroad, and they were in great 
danger of being seduced by their arts 
from the way of truth and duty. vs. 21 
— 26. VIII. The apostle, in the close 
of the chapter (vs. 27 — 29), expresses 
the belief that they would not be se- 
duced, but that they had an anointing 
from above which would keep them 
from the arts of those who would lead 
them astray. He earnestly exhorts 
them to abide in God the Saviour, that 
when he should appear they might 
have confidence and not be ashamed at 
his coming. 

1. My little children, Tsxvla, (xov' 
This is such language as an' aged 
apostle would be likely to use when 
addressing a church, and its use in this 
epistle may be regarded as one evidence 
that John had reached an advanced 
period of life when he wrote the epistle. 
IT These things write I unto you. To 
wit, the things stated in ch. i. 1T That 
ye sin not. To keep you from sin, or 
to induce you to lead a holy life. %And 
if any man sin. As all are liable, 
with hearts as corrupt as ours, and 
amidst the temptations of a world like 
this, to do. This, of course, does not 
imply that it is proper or right to sin, 
or that Christians should have no con- 
cern about it, but the meaning is, that 
all are liable to sin, and when we are" 
conscious of sin the mind should not 
yield to despondency and despair. It 
might be supposed, perhaps, that if 
one sinned after baptism, or after being 



converted, there could be no forgive- 
ness. The apostle designs to guard 
against any such supposition, and to 
show that the atonement made by the 
Redeemer had respect to all kinds of 
sin, and that under the deepest con- 
sciousness of guilt and of personal un 
worthiness, we may feel that we have 
an advocate on high. IT We have an 
advocate with the Father. God only 
can forgive sin, and, though we have 
no claim on him, yet there is one with 
him who can plead our cause, and 
on whom we can rely to manage our 
interests there. The word rendered 
advocate (rtapax^T'os — paraclete) is 
elsewhere applied to the Holy Spirit, 
and is in every other place where it 
occurs in the New Testament, rendered 
Comforter. John xiv. 16, 26 ; xv. 26 ; 
xvi. 7. On the meaning of the word, 
see Notes on John xiv. 16. As used 
with reference to the Holy Spirit (John 
xiv. 16, et al.) it is employed in the 
more general sense of helper, or aid, 
and the particular manner in which the 
Holy Spirit aids us may be seen stated 
in the Notes on John xiv. 16. As 
usual here with reference to the Lord 
Jesus, it is employed in the more limited 
sense of the word Advocate, as the word 
is frequently used in the Greek writers 
to denote an advocate in court; that is, 
one whom we call to our aid, or to 
stand by us, to defend our suit. Where 
it is applied to the Lord Jesus, the lan- 
guage is evidently figurative, since 
there can be no literal pleading for 
us in heaven, but it is expressive of 
the great truth that he has undertaken 
our cause with God, and that he per- 
forms for us all that we expect of an 
advocate and counsellor. It is not to 
be supposed, however, that he manages 
our cause in the same way, or on the 
same principles on which an advocate 



328 



1. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90 



m a human tribunal does. An advo- 
cate in court is employed to defend his 
client. He does not begin by admitting 
his guilt, or in any way basing his plea 
on the conceded fact that he is guilty ; 
his proper business is to show that he 
is not guilty, or if he be proved to be 
so, to see that no injustice shall be done 
him. The proper business of an advo- 
cate in a human court, therefore, em- 
braces two things : (1.) To show that 
his client is not guilr.y in the form and 
manner charged on him. This he may 
do in one of two ways, either (a) by 
showing that he did not do the act 
charged on him, as when he is charged 
with murder, and can prove an alibi, 
or show that he was not present at the 
time the murder was committed ; or (6) 
by proving that he had a right to do 
the deed — as, if he is charged with 
murder, he may admit the fact of the 
killing, but may show that it was in 
self-defence. (2.) In case his client is 
convicted, his office is to see that no 
injustice is done to him in the sen- 
tence; to stand by him still; to avail 
himself of all that the law allows 
in his favour, or to state any circum- 
stance of age, or sex, or former service, 
or bodily health, which would in any 
way mitigate the sentence. The advo- 
cacy of the Lord Jesus in our behalf, 
however, is wholly different from this, 
though the same general object is pur- 
sued and sought, the good of those for 
whom he beconaes an advocate. The 
nature of his advocacy may be stated 
in the following particulars: (1.) He 
admits the guilt of those for whom he 
becomes the advocate, to the full extent 
charged on them by the law of God, 
and by their own consciences. He 
does not attempt to hide or conceal it. 
He makes no apology for it. He neither 
attempts to deny the fact, nor to show 
that they had a right to do as they 
have done. He could not do this, for 
it would not be true ; and any plea 
before the throne of God which should 
be based on a denial of our guilt would 



be fatal to our cause. (2.) As out 
advocate he undertakes to be security 
that no wrong shall be done to the 
universe if we are not punished as 
we deserve ; that is, if we are par- 
doned, and treated as if we had not 
sinned. This he does by pleading what 
he has done in behalf of men ; that 
is, by the plea that his sufferings and 
death in behalf of sinners have done 
as much to honour the law, and to 
maintain the truth and justice of God, 
and to prevent the extension of apos- 
tacy, as if the offenders themselves had 
suffered the full penalty of the law. If 
sinners are punished in hell, there will 
be some object to be accomplished by 
it ; and the simple account of the atone- 
ment by Christ is, that his death will 
secure all the good results to the uni- 
verse which would be secured by the 
punishment of the offender himself. It 
has done as much to maintain the 
honour of the law, and to impress the 
universe with the truth that sin cannot 
be committed with impunity. If all 
the good results can be secured by sub- 
stituted sufferings which there would 
be by the punishment of the offender 
himself, then it is clear that the guilty 
may be acquitted and saved. Why 
should they not be 1 The Saviour, as 
our advocate, undertakes to be security 
that this shall be. (3.) As our advo- 
cate he becomes a surety for our good 
behaviour ; gives a pledge to justice 
that we will obey the laws of God, and 
that he will keep us in the paths of 
obedience and truth ; that, if pardoned, 
we will not continue to rebel. This 
pledge or surety can be given in no 
human court of justice. No man, ad- 
vocate or friend, can give security when 
one is pardoned who has been con- 
victed of stealing a horse, that he will 
not steal ahorse again ; when one who 
has been guilty of murder is pardoned, 
that he will never be guilty of it again; 
when one who has been guilty of forgery 
is pardoned, that he will not be guilty 
of it again. If he could do this the 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER II. 



329 



2 And he is the propitiation a 
for our sins : and not for our's 

a Ro. 3. 25. 

subject of pardon would be attended 
with much fewer difficulties than it is 
now. But the Lord Jesus becomes 
such a pledge or surety for us (Heb. 
vii. 22), and hence he becomes such an 
advocate with the Father as we need. 
IT Jesus Christ the righteous. One 
who is eminently righteous himself, and 
who possesses the means of rendering 
others righteous. It is an appropriate 
feeling when we come before God in 
his name, that we come pleading the 
merits of one who is eminently right- 
eous, and on account of whose right- 
eousness we may be justified and saved. 

2. And he is the propitiation for 
our sins. The word rendered propi- 
tiation faxu$ijuo$) occurs nowhere else 
in the New Testament, except in ch. 
iv. 10 of this epistle ; though words 
of the same derivation, and having the 
same essential meaning, frequently oc- 
cur. The corresponding word foatfT/>J- 
ptoi/ (hilasterion) occurs in Romans iii. 
25, rendered propitiation — < whom God 
hath set forth to be a propitiation 
through faith in his blood; 7 and in 
Heb. ix. 5, rendered mercy-seat — 4 sha- 
dowing the mercy-seat? The verb 
ixdtixofxat, (hilaskomai) occurs also in 
Luke xviii. 3 — « God be merciful to me 
a sinner,' and Heb. ii. 17 — < to make 
reconciliation for the sins of the people.' 
For the idea expressed by these words, 
see Notes on Rom. iii. 25. The proper 
meaning of the word is that of recon- 
ciling, appeasing, turning away anger, 
rendering propitious or favourable. The 
idea is that there is anger or wrath, or 
that something has been done to offend, 
and that it is needful to turn away that 
wrath, or to appease. This may be 
done by a sacrifice, by songs, by ser- 
vices rendered, or by bloody offerings 
So the word is often used in Homer. 
Passow. We have similar words in 
common use, as when we say of one 
28* 



only, but also for the sins of the 
whole world. 



that he has been offended and that 
something must be done to appease 
him, or to turn away his wrath. This 
is commonly done with us by making 
restitution ; or by an acknowledgment ; 
or by yielding the point in controversy ; 
or by an expression of regret ; or by 
different conduct in time to come. But 
this idea must not be applied too liter- 
ally to God ; nor should it be explained 
away. The essential thoughts in re- 
gard to him, as implied in this word, 
are (1.) That his will has been disre- 
garded, and his law violated, and that 
he has reason to be offended with us; 
(2.) That in that condition he cannot, 
consistently with his perfections, and 
the good of the universe, treat us as if 
we had not done it ; (3.) That it is 
proper that, in some way, he should 
show his displeasure at our conduct, 
either by punishing us, or by something 
that shall answer the same purpose; 
and (4.) That the means of propitia- 
tion come in here, and accomplish this 
end, and make it proper that he should 
treat us as if we had not sinned ; that 
is, he is reconciled, or appeased, and 
his anger is turned away. This is 
done, it is supposed, by the death of 
the Lord Jesus, accomplishing, in most 
important respects, what would be ac- 
complished by the punishment of the 
offender himself. In regard to this, in 
order to a proper understanding of what 
is accomplished, it is necessary to ob 
serve two things : what is not done, and 
what is. I. There are certain things 
which do not enter into the idea of 
propitiation. They are such as these 
(a) That it does not change the fact 
that the wrong was done. That is a 
fact which cannot be denied, and he 
who undertakes to make a propitiation 
for sin does not deny it. (&) It doei 
not change God. It does not makt 
him a different being from what he was 



330 



i . JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



before. It does not buy Mm over to a 
willingness to show m3rcy; it does 
not change an inexorable being to one 
who is compassionate and kind, (c) 
The offering that is made to secure re- 
conciliation does not necessarily pro- 
duce reconciliation in fact. It pre- 
pares the way for it on the part of 
God, but whether they for whom it is 
made will be disposed to accept it is 
another question. When two men are 
alienated from each other, you may go 
to B and say to him that all obstacles 
to reconciliation on the part of A are 
removed, and that he is disposed to be 
at peace, but whether B will be willing 
to be at peace is quite another matter. 
The mere fact that his adversary is dis- 
posed to be at peace determines nothing 
in regard to his disposition in the matter. 
So in regard to the controversy between 
man and God. It may be true that all 
obstacles to reconciliation on the part 
of God are taken away, and still it 
may be quite a separate question 
whether man will be willing to lay 
aside his opposition, and embrace the 
terms of mercy. In itself considered, 
one does not necessarily determine the 
other, or throw any light on it. II. The 
amount then, in regard to the propitia- 
tion made for sin is, that it removes all 
obstacles to reconciliation on the part 
of God ; it does whatever is necessary 
to be done to maintain the honour of 
his law, his justice, and his truth ; it 
makes it consistent for him to offer 
pardon ; that is, it removes whatever 
there was that made it necessary to in- 
flict punishment, and thus, so far as the 
word can be applied to God, it appeases 
him, or turns away his anger, or ren- 
ders him propitious. This it does, not 
in respect to producing any change in 
God, but in respect to the fact that it 
removes whatever there was in the na- 
ture of the case that prevented the free 
acd full offer of pardon. The idea of 
the apostle in the passage before us is, 
that when we sin we may be assured 
that this has been done, and that pardon 



may now be freely extended to us. 
IT And not for our's only. Not only 
for the sins of us who are Christians, 
for the apostle was writing to such. 
The idea which he intends to convey 
seems to be, that when we come before 
God we should take the most liberal 
and large views of the atonement ; we 
should feel that the most ample provi- 
sion has been made for our pardon, and 
that in no respect is there any limit as 
to the sufficiency of that work to re- 
move all sin. It is sufficient for us ; 
sufficient for all the world. ^ But also 
for the sins of the whole world, The 
phrase « the sins 7 is not in the original, 
but is not improperly supplied, for the 
connection demands it. This is one 
of the expressions occurring in the 
New Testament which demonstrate 
that the atonement was made for all 
men, and which cannot be reconciled 
with any other opinion. If he had 
died only for a part of the race, this 
language could not have been used. 
The phrase « the whole world/ is one 
which naturally embraces all men ; is 
such as would be used if it be supposed 
that the apostle meant to teach that 
Christ died for all men ; and is such as 
cannot be explained on any other sup- 
position. If he died only for the elect, 
it is not true that he is the < propitiation 
for the sins of the whole world' in any 
proper sense, nor would it be possible 
then to assign a sense in which it could 
be true. This passage, interpreted in 
its plain and obvious meaning, teaches 
the following things: (1.) That the 
atonement in its own nature is adapted 
to all men, or that it is as much fitted 
to one individual, or one class, as an- 
other; (2.) That it is sufficient in 
merit for all ; that is, that if any more 
should be saved than actually will be, 
there would be no need of any addi- 
tional suffering in order to save them ; 
(3.) That it has no special adaptedness 
to one person or class more than an- 
other ; that is, that in its own nature 
it did not render the salvation of one 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER II. 



331 



3 And hereby we do know 
that we know him, if we keep a 
his commandments. 

4 He that saith, I know him, 
and keepeth not his Command- 
er Lu. 6. 40. Jno. 14. 15, 23. 



more easy than that of another. It so 
magnified the law, so honoured God, 
bo fully expressed the divine sense of 
the evil of sin in respect to all men, 
that the offer of salvation might be 
made as freely to one as to another, 
and that any and all might take shelter 
under it and be safe. Whether, how- 
ever, God might not, for wise reasons, 
resolve that its benefits should be ap- 
ulied to a part only, is another ques- 
tion, and one which does not affect the 
inquiry about the intrinsic nature of 
the atonement. On the evidence that 
the atonement was made for all, see 
Notes on 2 Cor. v. 14, and Heb. ii. 9. 

3. And hereby we do know that we 
know him. To wit, by that which 
follows, we have evidence that we are 
truly acquainted with him, and with 
the requirements of his religion ; that 
is, that we are truly his friends. - The 
word him, in this verse, seems to refer 

• to the Saviour. On the meaning of 
the word know, see Notes on John 
xvii. 3. The apostle had stated in the 
previous part of this epistle some of the 
leading points revealed by the Christian 
religion, and he here enters on the 
consideration of the nature of the evi- 
dence required to show that we are 
personally interested in it, or that we 
are true Christians. A large part of 
the epistle is occupied with this sub- 
ject. The first, the grand evidence — 
that without which all others would be 
vain — he says, is, that we keep his 
commandments. ^ If we keep his 
commandments. See Notes on John 
xiv. 15. Comp. John xiv. 23, 24 ; xv. 
10, 14. 

4. He that saith, 1 know him. He 
who professes to be acquainted with 



ments, is a liar, and the truth is 
not in him. 

5 Bat whoso keepeth his 
word, in him verily is the love 
of God perfected : hereby know 
we that we are in him.- 



the Saviour, or who professes to be a 
Christian. IF And keepeth not his 
commandments. What he has ap- 
pointed to be observed by his people ; 
that is, he who does not obey him. 
IT Is a liar. Makes a false profession ; 
professes to have that which he really 
has not. Such a profession is a false- 
hood, because there can be no true re- 
ligion where one does not obey the law 
of God. 

5. But whoso keepeth his word. 
That is, what he has spoken or com- 
manded. The term word here will 
include all that he has made known to 
us as his will in regard to our conduct. 
IT In him verily is the love of God 
perfected. He professes to have the 
love of God in his heart, and that love 
receives its completion or filling up by 
obedience to the will of God. That 
obedience is the proper carrying out, 
or the exponent of the love which ex- 
ists in the heart. Love to the Saviour 
would be defective without that, for it 
is never complete without obedience. 
If this be the true interpretation, then 
the passage does not make any affirma- 
tion about sinless perfection, but it 
only affirms that if true love exists in 
the heart, it will be carried out in the 
life ; or that love and obedience are 
parts of the same thing; that one will 
be manifested by the other; and that 
where obedience exists, it is the com- 
pletion or perfecting of love. Besides, 
the apostle does not say that either the 
love or the obedience would be in them- 
selves absolutely perfect; but he says 
that one cannot fully develop itself 
without the other. IT Hereby know 
we that we are in him. That is, by 
having in fact such love as shall insurs 



332 



I. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90 



6 He that saith he abideth a 
in him, ought himself also so to 
walk, b even as he walked. 

a Jno. 15. 4, 5. 

obedience. To be in him, is to be 
united to him ; to be his friends. Comp. 
Notes on John vi. 56. Rom. xiii. 14. 

6. He that saith he abideth in him. 
Gr., remains in him ; that is, abides or 
remains in the belief of his doctrines, 
and in the comfort and practice of re- 
ligion. The expression is one of those 
which refer to the intimate union be- 
tween Christ and his people. A great 
variety of phrase is employed to denote 
that. For the meaning of this word 
in John, see Notes on ch. iii. 6. 
H* Ought himself also so to walk, even 
as he walked. Ought to live and act 
as he did. If he is one with him, or 
professes to be united to him, he ought 
to imitate him in all things. Comp. 
John xiii. 15, See also Notes on ch. 
i. 6. # 

7. Brethren, I write no new com- 
mandment unto you. That is, what 
I am now enjoining is not new. It is 
the same doctrine which you have al- 
ways heard. There has been much 
difference of opinion as to what is re- 
ferred to by the word commandment, 
whether it is the injunction in the pre- 
vious verse to live as Christ lived, or 
whether it is what he refers to in the 
following verses, the duty of brotherly 
love. Perhaps neither of these is ex- 
actly the idea of the apostle, but he 
may mean in this verse to put in a gen- 
eral disclaimer against the charge that 
what he enjoined was new. In respect 
to all that he taught, the views of truth 
which he held, the duties which he 
enjoined, the course of life which he 
would prescribe as proper for a Chris- 
tian to live, he meant to say that it was 
not at all new. It was nothing which 
he had originated himself, but it was in 
fact the same system of doctrines which 
they had always received since they 
became Christians. He might have 



7 Brethren, I write no new 
commandment unto you, but an 
old commandment, which ye had 

b Jno. 13. 15. 

been induced to say this because he 
apprehended that some of those whom 
he had in his eye, and whose doctrines 
he meant to oppose, might say that 
this was all new; that it was not the 
nature of religion as it had been com- 
monly understood, and as it was laid 
down by the Saviour. In a somewhat 
different sense, indeed, he admits (ver 
8) that there was a « new' command 
ment which it was proper to enjoin — 
for he did not forget that the Saviour 
himself called that « new / and though 
that commandment had also been all 
along inculcated under the gospel, yet 
there was a sense in which it was pro- 
per to call that new, for it had been so 
called by the Saviour. But in respect 
to all the doctrines which he main 
tained, and in respect to all the duties 
which he enjoined, he said that they 
were not new in the sense that he had 
originated them, or that they had not 
been enjoined from the beginning. 
Perhaps, also, the apostle here may 
have some allusion to false teachers 
who were in fact scattering new doc- 
trines among the people, things before 
unheard of, and attractive by their no- 
velty ; and he may mean to say that 
he made no pretensions to any such 
novelty, but was content to repeat the 
old and familiar truths which they had 
always received. Thus, if he was 
charged with broaching new opinions, 
he denies it fully ; if they were ad- 
vancing new opinions, and were even 
1 making capital' out of them, he says 
that he attempted no such thing, but 
was content with the old and established 
opinions which they had always re« 
ceived. IT But an old commandment. 
Old, in the sense that it has always 
been inculcated ; that religion has al- 
ways enjoined it. 1F Which ye had 
from the beginning. Which you hav# 



V D. 90.] 



CHAPTER II. 



333 



from the beginning. The old 
commandment is the word which 
ye have heard from the begin- 
ning. 

8 Again, a new ° command- 
ment I write unto you ; which 

a Jho. 13. 34. 

always received ever since you heard 
any thing about the gospel. It was 
preached when the gospel was first 
preached ; it has always been promul- 
gated when that has been promulgated ; 
it is what you first heard when you 
were made acquainted with the gospel. 
Comp. Notes, ch. i. 1. l !T The old 
commandment is the word which ye 
have heard from the beginning. Is the 
doctrine ; or is what was enjoined. 
John is often in the habit of putting a 
truth in a new form or aspect in order 
to make it emphatic, and to prevent the 
possibility misapprehension. See 
John i. 1, 2. The sense here is, < all 
•that I am saying to you is in fact an 
old commandment, or one which you 
have always had. There is nothing 
new in what I am enjoining on you/ 

8. Again, a new commandment I 
write unto you. ' And yet, that which 
I write to you, and particularly enjoin 
on you, deserves in another sense to 
be called a new commandment, though 
it has been also inculcated from the 
beginning, for it was called new by the 
Saviour himself. 7 Or, the meaning 
may be, « in addition to the general 
precepts which I have referred to, I 
do now call your attention to the new 
commandment of the Saviour, that 
which he himself called new.' There 
can be no doubt here that John refers to 
the commandment to 4 love one another' 
(see vs. 9 — 11), and that it is here 
called new not in the sense that John 
inculcated it as a novel doctrine, but in 
the sense that the Saviour called it 
such. For the reasons why it was so 
called by him, see Notes on John xiii. 
84. 11 Which thing is true in him. 



thing is true in him and in you, 
because the darkness 1 is past, 
and the true light now shineth. 

9 He that saith he is in the 
light, and hateth his brother, is 
in darkness even until now. 

b Ro. 13. 12. c 2 Pe. 1. 9. 

In the Lord Jesus. That is, which 
commandment or law of love was illus- 
trated in him, or was manifested by 
him in his intercourse with his disci- 
ples. That which was most prominent 
in him was this very love which he 
enjoined on all his followers. IT And 
in you. Among you. That is, you 
have manifested it in your intercourse 
with each other. It is not new in the 
sense that you have never heard of it, 
and have never evinced it, but in the 
sense only that he called it new. 
1T Because the darkness is past, and 
the true light now shineth. The an- 
cient systems of error, under which 
men hated each other, have passed 
away, and you are brought into the 
light of the true religion. Once you 
were in darkness, like others; now 
the light of the pure gospel shines 
around you, and that requires as its 
distinguishing characteristic, love. Re- 
ligion is often represented as light; 
and Christ spoke of himself, and was 
spoken of, as the light of the world. 
See Notes on John i. 4, 5. Comp. John 
viii. 12; xii. 35, 36, 46. Isa. ix. 2. 

9. He that saith he is in the light. 
That he has true religion, or is a Chris 
tian. See ch. i. 7. 1 And hateth his 
brother. The word brother seems here 
to refer to those who professed the same 
religion. The word is indeed some- 
times used in a larger sense, but the re- 
ference here appears to be to that which 
is properly brotherly love among Chris- 
tians. Comp. Liicke, in loc. \ Is in 
darkness even until now. That is, he 
cannot have true religion unless he has 
love to the brethren. The command 
to love one another was one of the 



334 



I. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90 



10 He that loveth his brother 
abideth in the light, and there is 
none 1 occasion of stumbling in 
him. 

11 But he that hateth his bro- 



most solemn and earnest which Christ 
ever enjoined (John xv. 17); he made 
it the peculiar badge of discipleship, or 
that by which his followers were to be 
everywhere known (John xiii. 35) ; 
and it is, therefore, impossible to have 
any true religion without love to those 
who are sincerely and truly his follow- 
ers. If a man has not that, he is in 
deep darkness, whatever else he may 
have, on the whole subject of religion. 
Comp. Notes on 1 Thess. iv. 9. 

10. He that loveth his brother abideth 
in the light. Has true religion, and 
enjoys it. IT And there is none occa- 
sion of stumbling in him. Marg., 
scandal. Greek, 6 and there is no 
stumbling' [or scandal — GxdvSaJkop — in 
him.] The word here used, means 
any thing against which one strikes or 
stumbles ; and then a stumbling-block, 
an impediment, or any thing which 
occasions a fall. Then it is used in 
a moral or spiritual sense, as denoting 
hat which is the occasion of falling 
into sin. See Notes on Matt. v. 29, 
and Rom. xiv. 13. Here it refers to 
an individual in respect to his treat- 
ment of others, and means that there 
is nothing, so far as he is concerned, 
to lead him into sin. Rob. Lex. If 
he has love to the brethren, he has true 
religion ; and there is, so far as the 
influence of this shall extend, nothing 
that will be the occasion of his falling 
into sin in his conduct towards them, 
for " love worketh no ill to his neigh- 
bour." Rom. xiii. 10. His course will 
be just, and upright, and benevolent. 
He will have no envy towards them in 
their prosperity, and will not be dis- 
posed to detract from their reputation 
in adversity ; he will have no feelings 
of exultation when they fall, and will 



ther, is in darkness, and walketh 
a in darkness, and knoweth not 
whither he goeth, because the 
darkness hath blinded his eyes. 

i scandal. a Pr. 4. 15. Jno. 12. 35. 

not be disposed to take advantage ot 
their misfortunes ; and, loving them aa 
brethren, he will be in no respect under 
temptation to do them wrong. In the 
bosom of one who loves his brother, the 
baleful passions of envy, malice, hatred, 
and uncharitableness, can have no 
place. At the same time, this love of 
the brethren would have an important 
effect on his whole Christian life and 
walk, for there are few things that will 
have more influence on a man's char- 
acter in keeping him from doing wrong 
than the love of the good and the pure. 
He who truly loves good men, will not 
be likely in any respect to go astray 
from the paths of virtue. • 

11. But he that hateth his brother. 
The word here used would, in this- 
connection, include both the mere ab- 
sence of love, and positive hatred. It 
is designed to include the whole of that 
state of mind where there is not love 
for the brethren. IT Is in darkness. 
ver. 9. IT And walketh in darkness. 
He is like one who walks in the dark, 
and who sees no object distinctly. See 
Notes on John xii. 35. 1" And know- 
eth not whither he goeth. Like one 
in the dark. He wanders about not 
knowing what direction he shall take, 
or where the course which he is on 
will lead. The general meaning is, 
that he is ignorant of the whole nature 
of religion ; or, in other words, love to 
the brethren is a central virtue in reli- 
gion, and when a man has not that, 
his mind is entirely clouded on the 
whole subject, and he shows that he 
knows nothing of its nature. There is 
no virtue that is designed to be made 
more prominent in Christianity ; and 
there is none that will throw its infill* 
ence farther over a man's life. 



A- D. 90.] 



CHAPTER II. 



335 



12 I write unto you, little 

a Ps. 25. 11. Lu. 24. 47. Ac. 10. 43. 

12. I write unto you, little children. 
There has been much difference of 
opinion among commentators in regard 
to this verse and the three following 
verses, on account of the apparent tau- 
tology. Even Doddridge supposes that 
considerable error has here crept into 
the text, and that a portion of these 
verses should be omitted in order to 
avoid the repetition. But, there is no 
authority for omitting any portion of 
the text, and the passage is very much 
in accordance with the general style 
of the apostle John. The author of 
this epistle was evidently accustomed 
to express his thoughts in a great va- 
riety of ways, having even the appear- 
ance of tautology, that the exact idea 
might bo before his readers, and that 
his meaning might not be misappre- 
hended. In order to show that the 
truths which he was uttering in this 
epistle pertained to all, and to secure 
the interest of all in them, he addresses 
himself to different classes, and says 
that there were reasons existing in re- 
gard to each class why he wrote to 
them. In the expressions « I write,' 
and < I have written/ he refers to what 
is found in the epistle itself, and the 
statements in these verses are designed 
to be reasons why he brought these 
truths before their minds. The word 
here rendered little children Qtexvitx) 
is different from that used in ver. 13, 
and rendered there little children (?t<u- 
$la), but there can be little doubt that 
the same class of persons is intended. 
Some have indeed supposed that by the 
term little children here, as in ver. 1, 
the apostle means to address all be- 
lievers — speaking to them as a father ; 
but it seems more appropriate to sup- 
pose that he means in these verses to 
divide the body of Christians whom he 
addressed into three classes—children, 
young men, and the aged, and to state 
particular reasons why he wrote to 



children, because your sins are 
forgiven you for his name's* sake 

each. If the term little children here 
(tfsxn'a) means the same as the term 
rtaifiia — little children, in ver. 13, then 
he addresses each of these classes twice 
in these two verses, giving each time 
somewhat varied reasons why he ad- 
dressed them. That, by the term < lit 
tie children' here, he means children, 
literally, seems to me to be clear, (1.) 
Because this is the usual meaning 
of the word, and should be understood 
to be the meaning here, unless there is 
something in the connection to show 
that it is used in a metaphorical sense; 
(2.) Because it seems necessary to un- 
derstand the other expressions, 4 young 
men,' and « fathers,' in a literal sense, 
as denoting those more advanced in 
life ; (3.) Because this would be quite 
in character for the apostle John. He 
had recorded, and would doubtless 
remember the solemn injunction of 
the Saviour to Peter (John xxi. 15), 
to * feed his lambs,' and the aged 
apostle could not but feel that what 
was worthy of so solemn an injunc- 
tion from the Lord, was worthy of 
his attention and care as an apostle ; 
and (4.) Because in that case, each 
class, fathers, young men, and children, 
would be twice addressed in these two 
verses ; whereas if we understood this 
of Christians in general, then fathers 
and young men would be twice adr 
dressed, and children but once. If th 
be so, it may be remarked (1.) That 
there were probably quite young child- 
ren in the church in the time of the 
apostle John, for the word would natu- 
rally convey that idea. (2.) The exact 
age cannot be indeed determined, but 
two things are clear : (a) one is, that 
they were undoubtedly under twenty 
years of age, since they were younger 
than the 'young men 1 (vsavlaxoi), a 
word usually applied to those who 
were in the vigour of life, from about 
the period of twenty up to forty years 



836 t JOHN. 

13 1 write unto you, fathers, ] because ye 



(Notes on ver. 13), and this word would 
embrace all who were younger than 
that class; and (b) the other is, that 
the word itself would convey the idea 
that they were in quite early life, as 
the word children — a fair translation of 
it — does now with us. It is not pos- 
sible to determine from the use of this 
word, precisely of what age the class 
here referred to was, but the word 
would imply that they were in quite 
early life. No rule is laid down in the 
New Testament as to the age in which 
children may be admitted to the com- 
munion. The whole subject is left to 
the wise discretion of the church, and 
is safely left there. Cases must vary 
so much that no rule could be laid 
down : and little or no evil has arisen 
from leaving the point undetermined 
in the Scriptures. It may be doubted, 
however, whether the church has not 
been rather in danger of erring by hav- 
ing it deferred too late, than by admit- 
ting children too early. (3.) Such 
children, if worthy the attention of an 
aged apostle, should receive the parti- 
cular notice of pastors now. Comp. 
Notes on John xxi. 15. There are 
reasons in all cases now, as there were 
then, why this part of a congregation 
should receive the special attention of 
a minister of religion. The hopes of a 
church are in them. Their minds are 
susceptible to impression. The char- 
acter of the piety in the next age will 
depend on their views of religion. "All 
that there is of value in the church and 
the world will soon pass into their 
hands. The houses, farms, factories ; 
the pulpits, and the chairs of professors 
in colleges ; the seats of senators and 
the benches of judges; the great offices 
of state, and all the offices in the 
church; the interests of learning, and 
of benevolence, and liberty, are all 
soon to be under their control. Every 
thing valuable in this world will soon 
depend on their conduct and char- 



[A. D. 90. 
have known him 



acter ; and whf/, therefore, can over- 
estimate the importance of training 
them up in just views of religion. As 
John wrote to this class, should not 
pastors preach to them 1 IF Because 
(6>t). This particle may be rendered 
for, or because, and the meaning may 
be either that the fact that their sins 
were forgiven was a reason for writ- 
ing to them, since it would be pro- 
per, on that ground, to exhort them to 
a holy life ; or that he wrote to them 
because it was a privilege to address 
them as those who were forgiven, for 
he felt that, in speaking to them, he 
could address them as such. It seems 
to me that it is to be taken as a causal 
particle, and that the apostle, in the 
various specifications which he makes, 
designs to assign particular reasons 
why he wrote to each class, enjoining 
on them the duties of a holy life. Comp. 
ver. 21. 1T Your sins are forgiven 
you. That is, this is a reason why he 
wrote to them, and enjoined these things 
on them. The meaning seems to be, 
that the fact that our past sins are 
blotted out furnishes a strong reason 
why we should be holy. That reason 
is founded on the goodness of God in 
doing it, and on the obligation under 
which we are brought by the fact that 
God has had mercy on us. This is a 
consideration which children will feel 
as well as others ; for there is nothing 
which will tend more to make a child 
obedient hereafter, than the fact that a 
parent freely forgives the past. \ For 
his name's sake. On account of the 
name of Christ ; that is, in virtue of 
what he has done for us. In ver. 13, 
he states another reason why he wrote 
to this same class — < because they had 
known the Father.' 

13. I write unto you, fathers. As 
there were special reasons for writing 
to children, so there were also for writ- 
ing to those who were more mature in 
life. The class here addressed would 



A. D. 90.] CHAPTER L 

8 that is from the beginning. I 

a c. 1. 1. 



337 



embrace all these who were in advance 
of the vsavltixoo, or young men, and 
would properly include those who were 
at the head of families. IT Because ye 
have known him that is from the be- 
ginning. That is, the Lord Jesus 
Christ. Notes, ch. i. 1. The argu- 
ment is, that they had been long ac- 
quainted with the principles of his re- 
ligion, and understood well its doc- 
trines and duties. It cannot be cer- 
tainly inferred from this that they had 
had a personal acquaintance with the 
Lord Jesus, yet that this might have 
been is not impossible, for John had 
himself personally known him, and 
there may have been some among those 
to whom he wrote who had also seen 
and known him. If this were so, it 
would give additional impressiveness 
to the reason assigned here for writing 
to them, and for reminding them of the 
principles of that religion which they 
had learned from his own lips and ex- 
ample. But perhaps all that is neces- 
sarily implied in this passage is, that 
they had had long opportunity of be- 
coming acquainted with the religion of 
the Son of God, and that having under- 
stood that thoroughly, it was proper to 
address them as aged and established 
Christians, and to call on them to main- 
tain the true doctrines of the gospel, 
against the specious but dangerous 
errors which then prevailed. "J I write 
unto you, young men (yscwlaxoi,)* This 
word would properly embrace those 
who were in the vigour of life, midway 
between children and old men. It is 
uniformly rendered young men in the 
New Testament (Matt. xix. 20, 22. 
Mark xiv. 51 ; xvi. 5. Luke vii. 14. 
Acts ii. 17 ; v. 10), and in the passages 
before us. It does not elsewhere occur. 
It is commonly understood as embrac- 
ing those in the prime and vigour of 
manhood up to the period of about forty 
years. Rob. Lex. IT Because ye have 



write unto you, young men, be- 
cause ye have overcome the 



overcome the wicked one. That is, be- 
cause you have vigour (see the next 
verse), and that vigour you have shown 
by overcoming the assaults of the wick- 
ed one — the devil. You have tri- 
umphed over the passions, which pre- 
vail in early life ; you have combatted 
the allurements of vice, ambition, covet- 
ousness, and sensuality ; and you have 
shown that there is a strength of char- 
acter and of piety on which reliance 
can be placed in promoting religion. 
It is proper, therefore, to exhort you 
not to disgrace the victory which you 
have already gained, but to employ 
your vigour of character in maintain- 
ing the cause of the Saviour. The 
thing to which John appeals 'here is 
the energy of those at this period of 
life, and it is proper at all times to 
make this the ground of appeal in ad- 
dressing a church. It is right to call 
on those who are in the prime of life, 
and who are endowed with energy of 
character, to employ their talents in the 
service of the Lord Jesus, and to stand 
up as the open advocates of truth. 
Thus the apostle calls on the three 
great classes into which a community 
or a church may be considered as di- 
vided — youth, because their sins were 
already forgiven, and, though young, 
they had actually entered on a career 
of virtue and religion, a career which 
by all means they ought to be exhorted 
to pursue ; fathers, or aged men, be- 
cause they had had long experience in 
religion, and had a thorough acquaint- 
ance with the doctrines and duties of 
the gospel, and they might be expected 
to stand steadfastly as examples to 
others ; and young men, those who 
were in the vigour and prime of life, 
because they had shown that they had 
power to resist evil, and were endowed 
with strength, and it was proper to call 
on them to exert their vigour in the 
sacred cause }f religion. 1T I write 



338 



L JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



wicked one. I write unto you, 
little children, because ye have 
known the Father. a 

unto you, little children. Many MSS. 
read here, 1 have written (typo^a), in- 
stead of I write (<ypa$co). This read- 
ing is found in both the ancient Syriac 
versions, and in the Coptic; it was 
followed by Origen, Cyril, Photius, and 
CEcumenius; and it is adopted by 
Grotius, Mill, and Hahn, and is pro- 
bably the true reading. The connec- 
tion seems to demand this. In vs. 12, 
13, the apostle uses the word ypdfyco (I 
write), in relation to children, fathers, 
and young men ; in the passage before 
us, and in the next verse, he again ad- 
dresses children, fathers, and young 
men, and in relation to the two latter, 
he says aypos^a* (I have written). The 
connection, therefore, seems to demand 
that the same word should be employed 
here also. Some persons have sup- 
posed that the whole passage is spu- 
rious, but of that there is no evidence, 
and, as we have elsewhere seen, it is 
not uncommon for John to repeat a 
sentiment, and to place it in a variety 
of lights, in order that he might make 
it certain that he was not misappre- 
hended. Some have supposed, also, 
that the expression < 1 have written,' 
refers to some former epistle which is 
now lost, or to the Gospel by the same 
author, which had been sent to them 
(Hug), and that he means here to re- 
mind them that he had written to them 
on some former occasion, inculcating 
the same sentiments which he now 
expressed. But there is no evidence 
of this, and this supposition is not ne- 
cessary in order to a correct under- 
standing of the passage. In the former 
expression, « I write? the state of mind 
would be that of one who fixed his at- 
tention on what he was then doing, and 
the particular reason why he did it — 
and the apostle states these reasons in 
vs. 12, 13. Yet it would not be un- 
natural for him immediately to throw 



14 I have written unto you, 
fathers, because ye have Known 

a Jno. 14. 7, 9. 

his mind into the past, and to state the 
reasons why he had resolved to write 
to them at all, and then to look at what 
he had purposed to say as already done, 
and to state the reasons why that was 
done. Thus one who sat down to 
write a letter to a friend, might appro- 
priately state in any part of the letter 
the reasons which had induced him to 
write at all to him on the subject. If 
he fixed his attention on the fact that 
he was actually writing, and on the 
reasons why he wrote, he would ex- 
press himself in the present tense — i 
write; if on the previous purpose, or 
the reasons which induced him to write 
at all, he would use the past tense— 1 
have written for such and such reasons. 
So John seems here, in order to make 
what he says emphatic, to refer to two 
states of his own mind, the one when 
he resolved to write, and the reasons 
which occurred to him then ; and the 
other when he was actually writing, 
and the reasons which occurred to him 
then. The reasons are indeed substan- 
tially the same, but they are contem- 
plated from different points of view, 
and that fact shows that what he did 
was done with deliberation, and from 
a deep sense of duty, f Because ye, 
have known the Father. In verse 12. 
the reason assigned for writing to this 
class is, that their sins were forgiven. 
The reason assigned here is, that in 
early life they had become acquainted 
with God as a Father. He desires 
that they would show themselves duti- 
ful and faithful children in this relation 
which they sustained to him. Even 
children may learn to regard God as 
their Father, and may have towards 
him all the affectionate interest which 
grows out of this relation. 

14. 1 have written unto you, fathers, 
because, &c. The reason assigned 
here for writing to fathers is the saro# 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER II. 



339 



him that is from the beginning. 
I have written unto you, young 
men, because ye are strong, a 
and the word of God abideth b in 

a Ep. 6. 10. 6 Jno. 15. 7. 

which is given in the previous verse. 
It would seem that in respect to them, 
the apostle regarded this as a sufficient 
reason for writing to them, and only 
meant to enforce it by repeating it. 
The fact that they had through many 
years been acquainted with the doc- 
trines and duties of the true religion, 
seemed to him a sufficient reason for 
writing to them, and for exhorting them 
to a steadfast adherence to those prin- 
ciples and duties. IT 1 have written 
unto you, young men, because ye are 
strong, &c. The two additional cir- 
cumstances which he here mentions as 
reasons for writing to young men are, 
that they are strong, and that the word 
of God abides in them. The first of 
these reasons is, that they were strong ; 
that is, that they were qualified for 
active and useful service in the cause 
of the Redeemer. Children were yet 
too young and feeble to appeal to them 
by this motive, and the powers of the 
aged were exhausted ; but those who 
were in the vigour of life might be 
called upon for active service in the 
cause of the Lord Jesus. The same 
appeal may be made now to the same 
class, and the fact that they are thus 
vigorous is a proper ground of exhorta- 
tion, for the church needs their active 
services, and they are bound to devote 
their powers to the cause of truth. The 
other additional ground of appeal is, 
that the word of God abode in them ; 
that is, that those of this class to whom 
he wrote had showed, perhaps in time 
of temptation, that they adhered firmly 
to the principles of religion. They 
had not flinched from an open defence 
of the truths of religion when assailed ; 
they had not been seduced by the plau- 
sible arts of the advocates of error, but 
they had had strength to overcome the 



you, and ye have overcome 6 the 
wicked one. 

15 Love d not the world, nei- 
ther the things that are in the 

c Re. 2. 7, &c. d Ro. 12. 2. 

wicked one. The reason here for ap- 
pealing to this class is, that, in fact 
they had showed that they could be 
relied on, and it was proper to depend 
on them to advocate the great princi- 
ples of Christianity. 

15. Love not the world. The term 
world seems to be used in the Scrip- 
tures in three senses : (1.) As denoting 
the physical universe ; the world as it 
appears to the eye ; the world considered 
as the work of God, as a material 
creation. (2.) The world as applied to 
the people that reside in it — < the world 
of mankind. 7 (3,) As the dwellers on 
the earth are by nature without religion, 
and act under a set of maxims, aims, 
and principles that have reference only 
to this life, the term comes to be used 
with reference to that community ; that 
is, to the objects which they peculiarly 
seek, and the principles by which they 
are actuated. Considered with refer- 
ence to the first sense of the word, it is 
not improper to love the world as the 
work of God, and as illustrating his 
perfections ; for, we may suppose that 
God loves his own works, and it is not 
wrong that we should find pleasure in 
their contemplation. Considered with 
reference to the second sense of the 
word, it is not wrong to love the people 
of the world with a love of benevolence, 
and to have attachment to our kindred 
and friends who constitute a part of it, 
though they are not Christians. It is 
only with reference to the word as used 
in the third sense that the command 
here can be understood to be applicable 
or that the love of the world is forbid 
den; with reference to the objects 
sought, the maxims that prevail, the 
principles that reign in that community 
that lives for this world as contradis- 
tinguished from the world to coma. 



340 



I. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



world. If a any man love the 
world, the love of the Father is 
not in him. 

16 For all that is in the 

a Mat. 6. 24. Ga. 1. 10. Ja. 4. 4. 

The meaning is, that we are not to fix 
our affections on worldly objects — on 
what the world can furnish — as our 
portion, with the spirit with which 
they do who live only for this world, 
regardless of the life to come. We are 
not to make this world the object of 
our chief affection ; we are not to be 
influenced by the maxims and feelings 
which prevail among those who do. 
Comp. Notes on Rom. xii. 2, and James 
iv. 4. See also Matt. xvi. 26. Luke ix. 
25. 1 Cor. i. 20 ; iii. 19. Gal. iv. 3. 
Col. ii. 8. ^ Neither the things that 
are in the world. Referred to in the 
next verse as « the lust of the flesh, the 
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.' 
This explanation shows what John 
meant by < the things that are in the 
world.' He does not say that we are 
in no sense to love any thing that is in 
the material world ; that we are to feel 
no interest in flowers, and streams, and 
forests, and fountains ; that we are to 
have no admiration for what God has 
done as the Creator of all things ; that 
we are to cherish no love for any of the 
inhabitants of the world, our friends 
and kindred ; or that we are to pursue 
none of the objects of this life in mak- 
ing provision for our families ; but that 
we are not to love the things which 
are sought merely to pamper the appe- 
tite, to please the eye, or to promote 
pride in living. These are the objects 
sought by the people of the world; 
these are not the objects to be sought 
by the Christian. IT If any man love 
the world, &c. If, in this sense, a 
man loves the world, it shows that he 
has no true religion ; that is, if, charac- 
teristically, he loves the world as his 
portion, and lives for that ; if it is the 
ruling principle of his life to gain and 
enjoy that, it shows that his heart has 



world, the lust of the flesh, h and 
the lust of the c eyes, and the 
pride d of life, is not of the Fa- 
ther, but is of the world. 

b 2 Pe. 2. 10. c Ps. 119. 37. d Ps. 73. 6. 

never been renewed, and that he has 
no part with the children of God. See 
Notes on James iv. 4. Matt. vi. 24. 

16. For all that is in the world. 
That is, all that really constitutes the 
world, or that enters into the aims and 
purposes of those who live for this life. 
All that that community lives for may 
be comprised under the following 
things. IT The lust of the flesh. The 
word lust is used here in the general 
sense of desire, or that which is the 
object of desire, not in the narrow 
sense in which it is now commonly 
used to denote libidinous passion See 
Notes on James i. 14. The phrase 
« the lust of the flesh 7 here denotes that 
which pampers the appetites, or all that 
is connected with the indulgence of the 
mere animal propensities. A large part 
of the world lives for little more than 
this. This is ths lowest form of 
worldly indulgence ; those which are 
immediately specified being of a higher 
order, though still merely worldly, 
t And the lust of the eyes. That 
which is designed merely to gratify 
the sight. This would include, of 
course, costly raiment, jewels, gor- 
geous furniture, splendid palaces, plea- 
sure grounds, &c. The object is to 
refer to the gay vanities of this world, 
the thing on which the eye delights 
to rest where there is no higher ob- 
ject of life. It does not, of course, 
mean that the eye is never to be grati- 
fied, or that we can find as much 
pleasure in an ugly as in a handsome 
object, or that it is sinful to find plea- 
sure in beholding objects of real beauty, 
for the world, as formed by ite Creator, 
is full of such things, and he could not 
but have intended that pleasure should 
enter the soul through the eye, or that 
the beauties which he has shed so la*- 



A. D. 90.] CHAPTER II. 

17 And a the world passeth 
away, and the lust thereof : but 



34 1 



he that doeth the will of God 
abideth for ever. 

18 Little children, it is the 

aPs. 39. 6. ICo. 7. 31. 



ishly over his works should contribute 
to the happiness of his creatures, but 
the apostle refers to this when it is 
the great and leading object of life; 
when it is sought without any connec- 
tion with religion or reference to the 
world to come. IT And the pride of 
life. The word here used means pro- 
perly ostentation or boasting, and then 
arrogance or pride. Mob. Lex, It re- 
fers to whatever there is that tends to 
promote pride, or that is an index of 
pride, such as the ostentatious display 
of dress, equipage, furniture, &c. IT Is 
not of the Father, Does not proceed 
from God, or meet with his approba- 
tion. It is not of the nature of true 
religion to seek these things, nor can 
their pursuit be reconciled with the 
existence of real piety in the heart. 
The sincere Christian has nobler ends, 
and he who has not any higher ends, 
and whose conduct and feelings can 
all be accounted for by a desire for 
these things, cannot be a true Chris- 
tian. ^ But is of the world. Is ori- 
ginated solely by the objects and pur- 
poses of this life, where religion and 
the life to come are excluded. 

17. And the world passeth away. 
Every thing properly constituting this 
world where religion is excluded. The 
reference here does not seem to be so 
much to the material world, as to the 
scenes of show and vanity which make 
up the world. These things are pass- 
ing away like the shifting scenes of the 
stage. See Notes on 1 Cor. vii. 31. 
IF And the lust thereof All that is 
here so much the object of desire. 
These things are like a pageant, which 
My amuses the eye for a moment, and 
then disappears for ever. IT But he 
29* 



last b time : and as ye have neard 
that antichrist shall come, even 
now are there many antichrists ; 
whereby we know that it is the 
last time. 

b He. 1. 2. c Matt. 24. 24. 1 Ti. 4. 1. 



that doeth the will of God abideth for 
ever. This cannot mean that he will 
never die, but it means that he has 
built his happiness on a basis which is 
secure, and which can never pass away. 
Comp. Notes on Matt. vii. 24 — 27. 

18. Little children. See ver.l. IT It 
is the last time. The closing period 
or dispensation ; that dispensation in 
which the affairs of the world are ulti- 
mately to be wound up. The apostle 
does not, however, say that the end of 
the world would soon occur, nor does 
he intimate how long this dispensation 
would be. That period might con- 
tinue through many ages or centuries, 
and still be the last dispensation, or 
that in which the affairs of the world 
would be finally closed. See Notes on 
Isa. ii. 2. Acts ii. 17. Heb. i. 2. Some 
have supposed that the « last time' here 
refers to the destruction of Jerusalem, 
and the end of the Jewish economy ; 
but the more natural interpretation is 
to refer it to the last dispensation of 
the world, and to suppose that the 
apostle meant to say that there were 
clear evidences that that period had 
arrived. IT And as ye have heard that 
antichrist shall come. The word anti- 
christ occurs in the New Testament 
only in these epistles of John. 1 John 
ii. 18, 22 ; iv. 3. 2 John 7. The pro- 
per meaning of anti (dvtu) in compo- 
sition is (1.) over-against, as avtrtdt- 
tisw', (2.) contrary to, as uvCCk&yziv\ 
(3.) reciprocity, as avtartoSlSapt, ; 
(4.) substitution, as avtt,f3a6L%sv$, in 
the place of the king, or d^^Ttaroj — 
proconsul. The word antichrist, there- 
fore, might denote any one who either 
was or claimed to be in the place of 
Christ, or one who, for any cause, was 



342 



I. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



in opposition to him. The word, fur- 
ther, would apply to one opposed to 
him, on whatever ground the opposition 
might be ; whether it were open and 
avowed, or whether it were only in fact, 
as resulting from certain claims which 
were adverse to his, or which were in- 
consistent with his. A vice-functionary, 
or an opposing functionary, would be 
the idea which the word would natur- 
ally suggest. If the word stood alone, 
and there were nothing said further to 
explain its meaning, we should think, 
when the word antichrist was used, 
either of one who claimed to be the 
Christ, and who thus was a rival; or 
of one who stood in opposition to him 
on some other ground. That which 
constituted the characteristics of anti- 
christ, according to John, who only 
has used the word, he has himself 
stated : ver. 22, * Who is a liar, but he 
that denieth that Jesus is the Christ 1 
He is antichrist, that denieth the Father 
and the Son ch. iv. 3, « And every 
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus 
Christ is come in the flesh, is not of 
God ; and this is that spirit of anti- 
christ 2 John 7, < For many deceivers 
are entered into the world, who confess 
not that Jesus Christ is come in the 
3esh. This is a deceiver and an anti- 
christ.' From this it is clear, that John 
Mnderstood by the word all those that 
denied that Jesus is the Messiah, or 
that the Messiah has come in the flesh. 
If they held that Jesus was a deceiver, 
and that he was not the Christ ; or if 
they maintained that, though Christ 
*iad come, he had not come in the flesh, 
that is, with a proper human nature, 
this showed that such persons had the 
spirit of antichrist. They arrayed them- 
selves against him, and held doctrines 
which were in fact in entire opposition 
to the Son of God. It would appear 
then that John does not use the word 
in the sense which it would bear as de- 
noting one who set up a rival claim, or 
who came in the place of Christ, but 
ill the sense of those who were opposed ; 



to him by denying essential doctrines 
in regard to his person and advent. It 
is not certainly known to what per- 
sons he refers, but it would seem not 
improbable to Jewish adversaries (see 
Suicer's Thesaur. s. voc), or to some 
forms of the Gnostic belief. See Notes 
on ch. iv. 2. The doctrine respecting 
antichrist, as stated in the New Testa- 
ment, may be summed up in the fol- 
lowing particulars: (1.) That there 
would be those, perhaps in considerable 
numbers, who would openly claim to 
be the Christ, or the true Messiah. 
Matt. xxiv. 5, 24. (2.) That there 
would be a spirit, which would manifest 
itself early in the church, that would 
strongly tend to some great apostacy 
under some one head or leader, or to a 
concentration on an individual, or a 
succession of individuals, who would 
have eminently the spirit of antichrist, 
though for a time the development of 
that spirit would be hindered or <re- 
strained. See Notes on 2 Thess. ii. 1 
—7. (3.) That this would be ulti- 
mately concentrated on a single leader 
— " the man of sin" — and embodied 
under some great apostacy, at the head 
of which would be that " man of sin." 
2 Thess. ii. 3, 4, 8, 9, 10. It is to this 
that Paul particularly refers, or this is 
the view which he took of this apos- 
tacy, and it is this which he particularly 
describes. (4.) That, in the mean time, 
and before the elements of the great 
apostacy should be concentrated and 
embodied, there might not be a few 
who would partake of the same general 
spirit, and who would be equally op- 
posed to Christ in their doctrines and 
aims ; that is, who would embody in 
themselves the essential spirit of anti- 
christ, and by whose appearing it might 
be known that the last dispensation 
had come. It is to these that John re- 
fers, and these he found in his own 
age. Paul fixed the eye on future 
times, when the spirit of antichrist 
should be embodied under a distinct 
and mighty organization ; John on his 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER II. 



343 



ewn time, and found then essentially 
what it had been predicted would occur 
in the church. He here says that they 
had been taught to expect that anti- 
christ would come under the last dis- 
pensation, and it is implied that it could 
be ascertained that it was the last time, 
from the fact that the predicted opposer 
of Christ had come. The reference is 
probably to the language of the Saviour, 
that before the end should be, and as a 
sign that it was coming, many would 
arise claiming to be Christ, and, of 
course, practically denying that he was 
the Christ. Matt. xxiv. 5. " Many shall 
come in my name, saying, 1 am Christ ; 
and shall deceive many." ver. 24. 
" And there shall arise false Christs, and 
false prophets ; and they shall show 
great signs and wonders, insomuch 
that if it were possible, they shall de- 
ceive the very elect." This prediction 
it is probable the apostles had referred 
to wherever they had preached, so that 
there was a general expectation that one 
or more persons would appear claiming 
to be the Christ, or maintaining such 
opinions as to be inconsistent with the 
true doctrine that Jesus was the Mes- 
siah. Such persons, John says, had then 
in fact appeared, by which it could be 
known that they were living under the 
closing dispensation of the world re- 
ferred to by the Saviour. Comp. Notes 
on 2 Thess. ii. 2 — 5. IT Even now are 
there many antichrists. There are 
many who have the characteristics 
which it was predicted that antichrist 
would have; that is, as explained 
above, there are many who deny that 
Jesus is the Messiah, or who deny that 
he has come in the flesh. If they main- 
tained that Jesus was an impostor and 
not the true Messiah, or if, though they 
admitted that the Messiah had come, 
they affirmed, as the Docetse did (Note 
on ch. iv. 2), that he had come in ap- 
pearance only, and not really come in 
the flesh, this was the spirit of anti- 
christ. John says that there were 
many such persons in fact in his time. 



It would seem from this that John did 
not refer to a single individual, or to a 
succession of individuals who should 
come previous to the winding up of 
the affairs of the world, as Paul did 
(2 Thess. ii. 2, seq.), but that he under- 
stood that there might be many at the 
same time who would evince the spirit 
of antichrist. Both he and Paul, how 
ever, refer to the expectation that before 
the coming of the Saviour to judge the 
world, there would be prominent ad- 
versaries of the Christian religion, and 
that the end would not come until such 
adversaries appeared. Paul goes more 
into detail, and describes the character- 
istics of the great apostacy more at 
length (2 Thess. ii. 2, seq. 1 Tim. iv. 
1, seq. 2 Tim. iii. 1, seq.) ; John says, 
not that the appearing of these persons 
indicated that the end of the world was 
near, but that they had such character- 
istics as to show that they were living 
in the last dispensation ; Paul so de- 
scribes them as to show that the end 
of the world was not to be immediately 
expected (Notes on 2 Thess. ii. 1, seq.) ; 
John, without referring to that point, 
says, that there were enough of that 
character then to prove that the last 
dispensation had come, though he does 
not say how long it would continue. 
^Whereby we know it is the last time. 
They have the characteristics which it 
was predicted many would have before 
the end of the world should come. 
The evidence that it was 1 the last time, 
or the closing dispensation of the world, 
derived from the appearing of these 
persons, consists simply in the fact that 
it was predicted that such persons would 
appear under the Christian, or the last 
dispensation. Matt. xxiv. 5, 24 — 27. 
Their appearance was to precede the 
coming of the Saviour, though it is 
not said how long it would precede 
that; but at any time the appearing of 
such persons would be an evidence that 
it was the closing dispensation of the 
world, for the Saviour, in his predic- 
tions respecting them, had said that 



344 



1. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90, 



19 They went out from us, 
but they were not of us ; for a if 

a 2 Ti. 2. 19. 

they would appear before he should 
return to judgment. It cannot now 
be determined precisely to what classes 
of persons there is reference here, be- 
cause we know too little of the religious 
state of the times to which the apostle 
refers. No one can prove, however, 
that there were not persons at that time 
who so fully corresponded to the pre- 
dictions of the Saviour as to be a com- 
plete fulfilment of what he said, and 
to demonstrate that the last age had 
truly come. It would seem probable 
that there may have been reference to 
some Jewish adversaries, who denied 
that Jesus was the Messiah (Rob. Lex.) y 
or to some persons who had already 
broached the doctrine of the Docetae 
that, though Jesus was the Messiah, 
yet that he was a man in appearance 
only, and had not really come in the 
flesh. Classes of persons of each de- 
scription abounded in the early ages 
of the church. 

19. They went out from us. From 
the church. That is, they had once 
been professors of the religion of the 
Saviour, though their apostacy showed 
that they never had any true piety. 
John refers to the fact that they had 
once been in the church, perhaps to 
remind those to whom he wrote that 
they knew them well, and could readily 
appreciate their character. It was a 
humiliating statement that those who 
showed themselves to be so utterly op- 
posed to religion had once been mem- 
bers of the Christian church ; but this 
is a statement which we are often com- 
pelled to make. IT But they were not 
of us. That is, they did not really 
belong to us, or were not true Chris- 
tians. See Notes on Matt. vii. 23. 
This passage proves that these persons, 
whatever their pretensions and profes- 
sions may have been, were never sin- 
cere Christians. The same remark 



they had been of us, they would 
no doubt have continued with us : 



may be made of all who apostatize 
from the faith, and become teachers of 
error. They never were truly con- 
verted ; never belonged really to the 
spiritual church of Christ. IT For if 
they had been of us. If they had been 
sincere and true Christians. IT They 
would no doubt have continued with 
us. The words « no doubt 1 are sup- 
plied by our translators, but the affir- 
mation is equally strong without them : 
« they would have remained with us.' 
This affirms, without any ambiguity or 
qualification, that if they had been true 
Christians they would have remained 
in the church ; that is, they would not 
have apostatized. There could not be 
a more positive affirmation than that 
which is implied here, that those wha 
are true Christians will continue to be 
such ; or that the saints will not fall 
away from grace. John affirms it of 
these persons, that if they had been true 
Christians they would never have de* 
parted from the church. He makes 
the declaration so general that it may 
be regarded as a universal truth, that 
if any are truly 6 of us that is, if they 
are true Christians, they w^l continue 
in the church, or will never fall away. 
The statement is so made also as to 
teach that if any do fall away from the 
church, the fact is full proof that they 
never had any religion, for if they had 
had they would have remained stead- 
fast in the church. IT But they went 
out, that they might be made manifest 
that they were not all of us. It was 
suffered or permitted in the providence 
of God that this should occur, in order 
that it might be seen and known that 
they were not true Christians, or in 
order that their real character might be 
developed. It was desirable that this 
should be done (a) in order that the 
church might be purified from their in- 
fluence. Comp. Notes on John xv. 2 ; 



A. 1). 90.] CHAPTER 11. 

but they went out, that they might 

a 2 Ti. 3. 9. 



(jb) in order that it might not be re- 
sponsible for their conduct, or re- 
proached on account of it ; (c) in order 
that their real character might be de- 
veloped, and they might themselves see 
that they were not true Christians ; (d) 
in order that, being seen and known as 
apostates, their opinions and conduct 
might have less influence than if they 
were connected with the church ; (e) 
in order that they might themselves 
understand their own true character, 
and no longer live under the delusive 
opinion that they were Christians and 
were safe, but that, seeing themselves 
in their true light, they might be 
brought to repentance. For there is 
only a most slender prospect that any 
who are deceived in the church will 
ever be brought to true repentance 
there ; and slight as is the hope that, 
one who apostatizes will be, such an 
event is much more probable than it 
would be if he remained in the church. 
Men are more likely to be converted 
when their character is known and 
understood, than they are when play- 
ing a game of deception, or are them- 
selves deceived. What is here affirm- 
ed of these persons often occurs now ; 
and those who have no true religion 
are often suffered to apostatize from 
their profession for the same purposes. It 
is better that they should cease to have 
any connection with the church than 
that they should remain-in it ; and God 
often suffers them to fall away even 
from the profession of religion, in order 
that they may not do injury as profess- 
ing Christians. This very important 
passage, then, teaches the following 
things : (1.) That when men aposta- 
tize from the profession of religion, and 
embrace fatal error, or live in sin, it 
proves that they never had any true 
piety. (2.) The fact that such persons 
fall away cannot be adduced to prove 
that Christians ever fail from grace, for 



345 

be made manifest a that thej 
were not all of us. 



it demonstrates nothing on that point, 
but proves only that these persons ne- 
ver had any real piety. They may 
have had much that seemed to be reli- 
gion ; they may have been zealous, 
and apparently devoted to God, and 
may even have had much comfort and 
peace in what they took to be piety ; 
they may have been eminently < gifted' 
in prayer, or may have even been suc- 
cessful preachers of the gospel, but all 
this does not prove that they ever had 
any piety, nor does the fact that such 
persons apostatize from their profession 
throw any light on a question quite 
foreign to this — whether true Christians 
ever fall from grace. Comp. Matt. vii. 
22, 23. (3.) The passage before us 
proves that if any are true Christians 
they will remain in the church, or will 
certainly persevere and be saved. They 
may indeed backslide grievously ; they 
may wander far away, and pain the 
hearts of their brethren, and give occa- 
sion to the enemies of religion to speak 
reproachfully, but the apostle says < if 
they had been of us, they would have 
continued with us/ (4.) One of the 
best evidences of true piety is found in 
the fact of continuing with the church. 
I do not mean nominally and formally, 
but really and spiritually, having the 
heart with the church ; loving its peace 
and promoting its welfare ; identifying 
ourselves with real Christians, and 
showing that we are ready to co-operate 
with those who love the Lord Jesus 
and his cause. (5.) The main reason 
why professing Christians are suffered 
to apostatize is to show that they had 
no true religion. It is desirable that 
they should see it themselves ; desira- 
ble that others should see it also. It 
is better that it should be known that 
they had no true religion than that 
they should remain in the church to be 
a burden on its movements, and a re- 
proach to the cause. By being allowed 



646 I. JC 

20 But ye have an unction" 

a 2 Co. X. 21. &1C0.2. 15. 

thus to separate themselves from the 
church, they may be brought to re- 
member their violated vows, and the 
church will be free from the reproach 
of having those in its bosom who are a 
dishonour to the Christian name. We 
are not to wonder, then, if persons 
apostatize who have been professors of 
true religion ; and we are not to sup- 
pose that the greatest injury is done to 
the cause when they do it. A greater 
injury by far is done when such per- 
sons remain in the church. 

20. But ye have an unction from 
the Holy One, The apostle in this 
verse evidently intends to say that he 
had no apprehension in regard to those 
to whom he wrote that they would thus 
apostatize, and bring dishonour on their 
religion. They had been so anointed 
by the Holy Spirit that they under- 
stood the true nature of religion, and 
it mighl be confidently expected that 
they would persevere. The word unc- 
tion or anointing (^pi'tfjua) means pro- 
perly < something rubbed in or ointed ;' 
oil for anointing, ointment; then it 
means an anointing. The allusion is 
to the anointing of kings and priests, 
or their inauguration or coronation 
(1 Sam. x. 1 ; xvi. 13. Ex. xxviii. 41 ; 
xl. 15. Comp. Notes on Matt. i. 1), 
and the idea seems to have been that 
the oil thus used was emblematic of the 
gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit as 
qualifying them for the discharge of the 
duties of their office. Christians, in 
the New Testament, are described as 
< kings and priests' (Rev. i. 6 ; v. 10), 
and as a < royal priesthood' (Notes 1 
Pet. ii. 5, 9), and hence they are re- 
presented as anointed, or as endowed 
with those graces of the Spirit of which 
anointing was the emblem. The phrase 
« the Holy One' refers here doubtless to 
the Holy Spirit, that Spirit whose in- 
rlueiices are imparted to the people of 
God, to enlighten, to sanctify, and to 



>HN. [A. D. 90 

from the Holy One, and ye know 
b all things. 

comfort them in their trials. The par- 
ticular reference here is to the influ- 
ences of that Spirit as giving them 
clear and just views of the nature of 
religion, and thus securing them from 
error and apostacy. % And ye know 
all things. That is, all things which 
it is essential that you should know on 
the subject of religion. See Notes on 
John xvi. 13. 1 Cor. ii. 15. The mean- 
ing cannot be that they knew all things 
pertaining to history, to science, to 
literature, and to the arts; but that, 
under the influences of the Holy Spirit, 
they had been made so thoroughly ac- 
quainted with the truths and duties of 
the Christian religion, that they might 
be regarded as safe from the danger of 
fatal error. The same may be said of 
all true Christians now, that they are 
so taught by the Spirit of God, that 
they have a practical acquaintance with 
what religion is, and with what it re- 
quires, and are secure from falling into 
fatal error. In regard to the general 
meaning of this verse, then, it may be 
observed : I. That it does not mean 
any one of the following things: (1.) 
That Christians are literally instructed 
by the Holy Spirit in all things, oi 
that they literally understand all sub- 
jects. The teaching, whatever it may 
be, refers only to religion. (2.) It is 
not meant that any new faculties of 
mind are conferred on them; or any 
increased intellectual endowments, by 
their religion. It is not a fact that 
Christians, as such, are superior in 
mental endowments to others ; not that 
by their religion they have any mental 
traits which they had not before their 
conversion. Paul, Peter, and John, 
had essentially the same mental char- 
acteristics after their conversion which 
they had before ; and the same is true 
of all Christians. (3.) It is not meant 
that any new truth is revealed to the 
mind by the Holy Spirit. All the 



A <D. 90.] 



CHAPTER II. 



347 



truth that is brought before the mind 
of the Christian is to be found in the 
word of God, and revelation, as such, 
was completed when the Bible was 
finished. (4.) It is not meant that any 
thing is perceived by Christians which 
they had not the natural faculty for 
perceiving before their conversion, or 
which other men have not also the 
natural faculty for perceiving. The 
difficulty with men is not a defect of 
natural faculties, it is in the blindness 
of the heart. II. The statement here 
made by John does imply, it is sup- 
posed, the following things : (1.) That 
the minds of Christians are so enlight- 
ened that they have a new perception 
of the truth. They see it in a light in 
which they did not before. They see 
it as truth. They see its beauty, its 
force, its adaptedness to their condition 
and wants. They understand the sub- 
ject of religion better than they once 
did, and better than others do.- What 
was once dark appears now plain ; 
what once had no beauty to their 
minds now appears beautiful ; what 
was once repellant is now attractive. 
(2.) They see this to he true ; that is, 
they see it in such a light that they can- 
not doubt that it is true. They have 
such views of the doctrines of religion 
that they have no doubt that they are 
true, and are willing on the belief of their 
truth to lay down their lives, and stake 
their eternal interests. (3.) Their 
knowledge of truth is enlarged. They 
become acquainted with more truths 
than they would have known if they 
had not been under the teaching of the 
Holy Spirit. Their range of thought 
is greater ; their vision more extended 
as well as more clear. III. The evi- 
dence that this is so, is found in the 
following things : (1.) The express 
statements of Scripture. See 1 Cor. ii. 
14, 15, and the Notes on that passage. 
Comp. John xvi. 13, 14, (2.) It is a 
matter of fact that it is so. (a) Men 
by nature do not perceive any beauty 
in the truths of religion. They are 



distasteful to them, or they are repul- 
sive and offensive. * To the Jew the 
doctrine of the cross is a stumbling- 
block, and to the Greek foolishness.' 
They may see indeed the force of an 
argument, but they do not see the 
beauty of the way of salvation. (6) 
When they are converted they do. 
These things appear to them to be 
changed, and they see them in a new 
light, and perceive a beauty in them 
which they never did before, (c) There 
is often a surprising developement of 
religious knowledge when persons are 
converted. They seem to understand 
the way of salvation, and the whole 
subject of religion, in a manner and to 
an extent which cannot be accounted 
for, except on the supposition of a 
teaching from above. (d) This is 
manifest also in the knowledge which 
persons otherwise ignorant exhibit on 
the subject of religion. With few ad- 
vantages for education, and with no re- 
markable talents, they show an ac- 
quaintance with the truth, a knowledge 
of religion, an ability to defend the doc- 
trines of Christianity, and to instruct 
others in the way of salvation, which 
could have been derived only from some 
source superior to themselves. Comp. 
John vii. 15. Acts iv. 13. (e) The 
same thing is shown by their adherence 
to truth in the midst of persecution, 
and simply because they perceive that 
for which they die to be the truth. And 
is there any thing incredible in this 1 ? 
May not the mind see what truth is? 
How do we judge of an axiom in 
mathematics, or of a proposition that is 
demonstrated, but by the fact that the 
mind perceives it to be true, and cannot 
doubt it] And may it not be so in 
regard to religious truth — especially 
when that truth is seen to accord with 
what we know of ourselves, our lost 
condition as sinners, and our need 
of a Saviour, and when we see 
that the truths revealed in the Scrip- 
tures are exactly adapted to oui 
wants 1 



348 t J( 

21 I have not written unto 
you because ye know not the 
truth, but because ye know it, 
and that no lie is of the truth. 



21. I have not written unto you be- 
cause ye know not the truth. You are 
not to regard my writing to you in this 
earnest manner as any evidence that I 
do not suppose you to be acquainted 
with religion and its duties. Some, per- 
haps, might have been disposed to put 
this construction on what he had said, 
but he assures them that that was not 
the reason why he had thus addressed 
them. The very fact that they did 
understand the subject of religion, he 
says, was rather the reason why he 
wrote to them. % But because ye know 
it. This was the ground of his hope 
that his appeal would be effectual. If 
they had never known what religion 
was; if they were ignorant of its na- 
ture and its claims, he would have had 
much less hope of being able to guard 
them against error, and of securing 
their steady walk in the path of piety. 
We may always make a strong and 
confident appeal to those who really 
understand what the nature of religion 
is, and what are the evidences of its 
truth. IT And that no lie is of the 
truth. No form of error, however 
plausible it may appear, however in- 
geniously it may be defended, and how- 
ever much it may seem to be favoura- 
ble to human virtue and happiness, can 
be founded in truth. What the apostle 
says here has somewhat the aspect of 
a truism, but it contains a real truth of 
vital importance, and one which should 
have great influence in determining 
our minds in regard to any proposed 
opinion or doctrine. Error often ap- 
pears plausible. It seems to be adapted 
to relieve the mind of many difficulties 
which perplex and embarrass it on the 
subject of religion. It seems to be 
adapted to promote religion. It seems 
to make those who embrace it happy, 



>HN. [A. D. 90. 

22 Who is a liar, but he that 
denieth that Jesus is the Christ? 
he is antichrist, that denieth the 
Father and the Son. 

a c. 4. 3. 

and for a time they apparently enjoy 
religion. But John says that however 
plausible all this may be, however 
much it may seem to prove that the 
doctrines thus embraced are of God, it 
is a great and vital maxim that no error 
can have its foundation in truth, and, 
of course, that it must be worthless. 
The grand question is, what is truth • 
and when that is determined we can 
easily settle the inquiries which come 
up about the various doctrines that are 
abroad in the world. Mere plausible 
appearances, or temporary good results 
that may grow out of a doctrine, do 
not prove that it is based on truth ; for 
whatever those results may be, it is 
impossible that any error, however 
plausible, should have its origin in the 
truth. 

22. Who is a liar. That is, who is 
false ; who maintains an erroneous 
doctrine ; who is an impostor, if he is 
not ? The object of the apostle is to 
specify one of the prevailing forms of 
error, and to show that, however plau- 
sible the arguments might be by which 
it was defended, it was impossible that 
it should be true. Their own know- 
ledge of the nature of religion must 
convince them at once that this opinion 
was false. IT That denieth that Jesus 
is the Christ. It would seem that the 
apostle referred to a class who admitted 
that Jesus lived, but who denied that 
he was the true Messiah. On what 
grounds they did this, is unknown ; but 
to maintain this was, of course, the 
same as to maintain that he was an 
impostor. The ground taken may have 
been that he had not the characteristics 
ascribed to the Messiah in the prophets ; 
or that he did not furnish evidence that 
he was sent from God ; or that he was 
an enthusiast. Or, perhaps, some pe- 



A. D. 90.] CHAPTER IT. 34S 

23 Whosoever a denieth the ther : [hut] he that acknowledge 
Son, the same hath not the Fa- eth the Son hath the Father 

a Jno. 15. 23. O,ho. 



culiar form of error may be referred to, 
like that which is said to have been 
held by Corinthus, who in his doctrine 
separated Jesus from Christ, maintain- 
ing them to be two distinct persons. 
Doddridge. IT He is antichrist. Notes, 
ver. 18. He has all the characteristics 
and attributes of antichrist ; or, a doc- 
trine which practically involves the 
denial of both the Father and the Son, 
must be that of antichrist. % That 
denieth the Father and the Son. That 
denies the peculiar truths pertaining to 
God the Father, and to the Son of God. 
The charge here is not that they en- 
tertained incorrect views of God as such 
-v-as Almighty, eternal, most wise, and 
good; but that they denied the doc- 
trines which religion taught respecting 
God as Father and Son. Their opi- 
nions tended to a denial of what was 
revealed respecting God as a Father — 
not in the general sense of being the 
Father of the universe, but in the par- 
ticular sense of his relation to the Son. 
It cannot be supposed that they denied 
the existence and perfections of God as 
such, nor that they denied that God 
is a Father in the relation which he 
sustains to the universe ; but the 
meaning must be that what they held 
went to a practical denial of that which 
is peculiar to the true God, considered 
as sustaining the relation of a Father 
to his Son Jesus Christ. Correct views 
of the Father could not be held without 
correct views of the Son ; correct views 
of the Son could not be held without 
correct views of the Father. The doc- 
trines respecting the Father and the 
Son were so connected that one could 
not be held without holding the other, 
and one could not be denied without 
denying the other. Comp. Notes on 
Matt. xi. 27. John v. 23. No man 
can have just views of God the Father 
who has not right apprehensions of the 
30 



Son- As a matter of fact in the world, 
men have right apprehensions of God 
only when they have correct views of 
the character of the Lord Jesus Christ, 
23. Whosoever denieth the Son, the 
same hath not the Father. That is, 
has no just views of the Father, and 
has no evidence of his friendship. It 
is only by the Son of God that the 
Father is made known to men (Matt, 
xi. 27. Heb. i. 2, 3), and it is only 
through him that we can become re- 
conciled to God, and obtain evidence 
of his favour. Notes on John v. 23. 
IT But he that acknowledgeth the Son, 
hath the Father cdso. This passage, 
in the common version of the New 
Testament, is printed in Italics, as if it 
were not in the original, but was sup- 
plied by the translators. It is true that 
it is not found in all the MSS. and ver- 
sions ; but it is found in a large num- 
ber of MSS., and in the Vulgate, the 
Syriac, the iEthiopic, the Coptic, the 
Armenian, and the Arabic versions, and 
in the critical editions of Griesbach, 
Tittman, and Hahn. It is probable, 
therefore, that it should be regarded as 
a genuine portion of the sacred text. 
It is much in the style of John, and 
though not necessary to complete the 
sense, yet it well suits the connection. 
As it was true that if one denied the 
Son of God he could have no preten- 
sions to any proper acquaintance with 
the Father, so it seemed to follow that 
if any one had any proper knowledge 
of the Son of God, and made a suit- 
able confession of him', he had evidence 
that he was a( ^uainted with the Fa- 
ther. Comp. John xvii. 3. Rom. x. 9. 
Though, therefore, this passage was 
wanting in many of the MSS. con- 
sulted by the translators of the Bible, 
and though in printing it in the man- 
ner in which they have, they showed 
the great caution with which they acted 



850 



I. JOHN. 



[A.B. 90. 



24 L^t a that therefore abide 
in you which ye have heard from 
the beginning. If that which 
ye have heard from the begin- 
ning shall remain in you, ye also 
shall continue in the Son, and 
in the Father. 



in admitting any thing doubtful into 
their translation, yet the passage should 
be restored to the text, and be regarded 
as a genuine portion of the word of 
God. The great truth can never be 
too clearly stated, or too often incul- 
cated, that it is only by a knowledge 
of the Lord Jesus Christ that we can 
have any true acquaintance with God, 
and that all who have just views of the 
Saviour are in fact acquainted with the 
true God, and are heirs of eternal life. 

24. Let that therefore abide in you. 
Adhere steadfastly to it ; let the truth 
obtain a permanent lodgement in the 
soul. In view of its great importance, 
and its influence on your happiness 
here and hereafter, let it never depart 
from you. IT "Which ye have heard 
from the beginning. That is, the 
same doctrines which you have always 
Deen taught respecting the Son of God 
and the way of salvation. Notes, ver. 7. 

Ye also shall continue in the Son, 
and in the Father. Truly united to 
the Son and to the Father; or having 
evidence of the favour and friendship 
of the Son and the Father. 

25. And this is the promise that he 
hath promised us, even eternal life. 
This is evidently added to encourage 
them in adhering to the truths which 
they had embraced respecting the Son 
of God. In maintaining these truths 
they had the promise of eternal life ; in 
departing from them they had none, 
for the promise of heaven in our world 
is made only to those who , embrace 
One class of doctrines or opinions. No 
one can show that any promise of 
heaven is made to the mere possessor 
of beauty, or wealth, or talent ; to the 



25 And this is the promise 
that he hath promised us, even 
eternal b life. 

26 These things have I writ- 
ten unto you concerning them 
that seduce you. 

a 2 Jno. 6. 6 Jno. 17. 3. 

accomplished or the gay ; to those who 
are distinguished for science, or skill in 
the arts ; to rank, or birth, or blood ; 
to courage, or strength. "Whatever 
expectation of heaven any one may 
entertain on account of any of these 
things, must be traced to something 
else than a promise, for there is none 
in the Bible to that effect. The pro- 
mise of heaven to men is limited to 
those who repent of their sins, who 
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
who lead a holy life ; and if any one 
will base his hope of heaven on a pro- 
mise, it must be limited to these things. 
And yet what well-founded hope of 
heaven can there be except that which 
is based on a promise ? How does any 
one know that he can be saved unless 
he has some assurance from God that 
it may and shall be so 1 Is not heaven 
his home 1 How does any one know 
that he may dwell there without some 
assurance from him that he may 1 Is 
not the crown of life his gift ? How 
can any one know that he will possess 
it unless he has some promise from 
him 1 However men may reason, or 
conjecture, or hope, the only promise of 
eternal life is found in the Bible, and the 
fact that we have such a promise should 
surely be a sufficient inducement to us 
to hold fast the truth. On the promise 
of life in the gospel, see John xvii. 2. 
Rom. ii. 6, 7. Mark xvi. 16. Matt, 
xxv. 46. 

26. These things have Iwrxtten unto 
you concerning them that seduce you. 
Respecting their character, and in order 
to guard you against their arts. The 
word seduce means to lead astray; 
and it here refers to those who would 



D. 90. j 



CHAPTER II. 



35* 



27 But the anointing which 
ye have received of him abideth 
in you : and ye need not that 
any man teach you : but as the 
same anointing teacheth a you 
of all things, and is truth, and is 

a Jno. 14. 26. » or, it. 

seduce them from the truth, or lead 
them into dangerous error. The apos- 
le does not mean that they had actually 
seduced them, for he states in the fol- 
lowing verse that they were yet safe ; 
but he refers to the fact that there was 
danger that they might be led into 
error. 

27. But the anointing which ye 
have received of him. See Notes on 
ver. 20. IT Abideth in you. The 
meaning is, that the influence on your 
heart and life, which results from the 
fact that you are anointed of God, per- 
manently abides with you, and will 
keep you from dangerous error. The 
apostle evidently meant to say that he 
felt assured that they would not be se- 
duced from the truth, and that his con- 
fidence in regard to this was placed in 
the fact that they had been truly an- 
ointed unto God as kings and priests. 
Thus understood, what he here says 
.is equivalent to the expression of a firm 
conviction that those who are true 
Christians will not fall away. Comp. 
Notes on vs. 19, 20. % And ye need 
not that any man teach you. That is, 
what are the things essential to true 
religion. See Notes on ver. 20. M But 
as the same anointing teacheth you of 
all things. This cannot mean that the 
mere act of anointing, if that had been 
performed in their case, would teach 
them;.' but it refers to what John in- 
;ludes in what he calls the anointing — 
that is, in the solemn consecrating to 
the duties of religion under the influ- 
ences of the Holy Spirit. ^ And is 
truth, and is no lie. Leads to truth, 
and not to error. No man was ever 
led into error by those influences which 



no lie, and even as it hath taught 
you, ye shall abide in 1 him. 

28 And now, little children, 
abide in him; that, when he 
shall appear, we may have con- 
fidence, and not be ashamed be- 
fore him at his coming. 

result from the fact that he has been 
consecrated to the service of God. Ye 
shall abide in him. Marg., 4 or, it' 
The Greek will bear either construc- 
tion. The connection, however, seems 
to demand that it should be understood 
as referring to him — that is, to the Sa- 
viour. 

28. And now, little children. Notes 
ver. 1. IT Abide in him • that, when 
he shall appear. In the end of the 
world, to receive his people to himself. 
Notes, John xiv. 2, 3. *J We may 
have confidence. Gr., boldness (7*0^*7- 
ctav)' This word is commonly used 
to denote openness, plainness, or bold- 
ness in speaking. Mark viii. 32. 
John vii. 4, 13, 26. Acts ii. 29; iv, 
13. 29. 2 Cor. iii, 12; vii. 4. Her« 
it means the kind of boldness, or calm 
assurance, which arises from evidence 
of piety and of preparation for heaven. 
It means that they would not be over- 
whelmed and confounded at the coming 
of the Saviour by its being then found 
that all their hopes were fallacious. 
IT And not be ashamed before him ai 
his coming. By having all our hopes 
taken away ; by being held up to the 
universe as guilty and condemned. 
We feel ashamed when our hopes are 
disappointed ; when it is shown that 
we have a character different from what 
we professed to have ; when our pre- 
tensions to goodness are stripped off, 
and the heart is made bare. Many 
will thus be ashamed in the last day 
(Matt. vii. 21—23), but it is one of the 
promises made to those who truly be- 
lieve on the Saviour, that they shal 
never be ashamed or confounded. Ser 
Notes. J Pet. ii. 6. Comp, Isa. xl» 



S52 



I JOHN. 



[A. D. 9a 



29 If ye know that he is 
righteous, ye know 1 that a every 

i or, know ye. 



17. Rom. v. 5. 1 Pet. iv. 16. Mark 
viii. 38. 

29. If ye knoiv that he is righteous. 
This is not said as if there could be 
any doubt on the subject, but merely 
to call their attention to it as a well- 
known truth, and to state what followed 
from it. Every one who has any true 
acquaintance with God, must have the 
fullest conviction that he is a righteous 
being. But, if this be so, John says, 
then it must follow that only those who 
are truly righteous can regard them- 
selves as begotten of him. IT Ye know. 
Marg., know ye. The Greek will bear 
either construction, and either would 
make good sense. Assuming that God 
is righteous, it would be proper to state, 
as in the text, that it followed from 
this that they must know that only 
those who are righteous can be regarded 
as begotten of him ; or, assuming this 
to be true, it was proper to exhort them 
to be righteous, as in the margin. 
Whichever interpretation is adopted, 
the great truth is taught, that only those 
who are truly righteous can regard 
themselves as the children of God. 
IT That every one that doeth righteous- 
ness is born of him. Or rather, is be- 
gotten of him ; is truly a child of God. 
This truth is everywhere taught in the 
Bible, and is worthy of being often re- 
peated. No one who is not, in the 
proper sense of the term, a righteous 
man, can have any well-founded pre- 
tensions to being regarded as a child 
of God. If this be so, then it is not 
difficult to determine whether we are 
the children of God. (L) If we are 
unjust, false, dishonest, we cannot be 
his children. (2.) If we are indulging 
in any known sin, we cannot be. (3.) 
If we are not truly righteous, all visions 
and raptures, all zeal and ardour, though 
in the cause of religion, all that we 
may pride ourselves on in being fervent 



one that doeth righteousness is 
born of him. 

a Je. 13. 23. Mat. 7. 16-18. 



in prayer, or eloquent in preaching, is 
vain. (4.) If we are righteous, in the 
true and proper sense, doing that which 
is right toward God and toward men, 
to ourselves, to our families, to our 
neignbours, to the world at large, to 
the Saviour who died for us, then we 
are true Christians ; and then, no mat- 
ter how soon he may appear, or how 
solemn and overwhelming the scenes 
that shall close the world, we shall not 
be ashamed or confounded, for we shall 
hail him as our Saviour, and rejoice 
that the time has come that we may 
go and dwell with him for ever. 

CHAPTER III. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter embraces the following 
subjects : 

I. The fact that Christians are now 
the sons of God. vs. 1—3. (1.) We 
are the sons of God, and this will ex- 
plain the reason why the world does 
not appreciate our character, or under- 
stand the reasons of our conduct, ver. 1. 
(2.) The consequences of sustaining 
that relation to God, or of being re- 
garded as his sons. (a) We shall 
be like him when he appears, ver. 2. 
(6) We shall purify ourselves under 
the influence of this hope. ver. 3. 

II. The fact that he who is an adopt 
ed child of God does not commit sin 
vs. 4 — 10. (1.) All sin is the trans 
gression of the law (ver. 4) ; (2.) Chrisf 
was manifested to take away our sins 
(ver. 5) ; (3.) He that commits sin is 
of the devil (ver. 8) ; and (4.) As a 
matter of fact, he who is of God does 
not commit sin. vs. 7, 9, 10. 

III. True religion will be manifested 
by love to the Christian brotherhood, 
vs. 10 — 18. (1.) As a man who is 
not righteous cannot be a true Chris- 
tian, neither can he who does not love 
his brother, ver. 10, (2.) It is the so- 



A. D. 90.] CHAPI 

CHAPTER III. 

BEHOLD, what manner of 
love a the Father hath be- 
stowed upon us, that we should 



lemn command of the Saviour that his 
followers should love one another, ver. 
11. (3.) The importance of this is 
seen by the opposite conduct of Cain, 
ver. 12. (4.) Love to the brethren 
furnishes the most certain evidence that 
we have passed from death unto life, 
ver. 14. (5.) A man who hates an- 
other is in fact a murderer, and, of 
course, cannot be a true child of God. 
ver. 15. (6.) We should be stimulated 
to the love of the brethren by the ex- 
ample of the Saviour, who laid down 
his^life for us. ver. 16. (7.) If we 
see a brother in want, and have the 
means of aiding him and do not do it, 
>ve cannot have the love of God dwell- 
ing in us. vs. 17, 18. 

IV. We may have evidence that we 
love God by the consciousness of our 
feelings towards him, as well as by 
outward- acts towards his friends, vs. 
19—21. 

V. If we keep his commandments 
our prayers will be answered, vs. 22, 
23. (1.) There is an assurance that 
we shall receive what we need if we 
ask it, and keep his commandments, 
ver. 22. (2.) The particular command- 
ments on which the efficacy of prayer 
so much depends, are (a) that we be- 
lieve on the name of the Saviour, and 
(6) that we love the Christian brother- 
hood, ver. 23. 

VI. We may know that we abide in 
God by the spirit which he has given 
us, as well as by keeping his command- 
ments, ver. 24. 

This chapter, therefore, is occupied 
mainly with stating what are the evi- 
dences of true piety, and in order to 
determine this question there is perhaps 
no part of the Bible that may be stu- 
died with more profit than this portion 
of the writings of John. 
30* 



ER III. 353 

be called the sons b of God ! 
therefore the world c knoweth us 
not, because it knew him not. 

aEp. 2. 4, 5. &Jno. 1. 12. Re. 21. 
c Jno. 17. 25. 

1. Behold, what manner of love. 
What love, in kind and in degree. In 
kind the most tender and the most 
ennobling, in adopting us into his fa- 
mily, and in permitting us to address 
him as our Father. In degree the 
most exalted, since there is no higher 
love that can be shown than in adopt- 
ing a poor and friendless orphan, and 
giving him a parent and a home. Even 
God could bestow upon us no more 
valuable token of affection than that 
we should be adopted into his family, 
and permitted to regard him as our 
Father. When we remember how in- 
significant we are as creatures, and 
how ungrateful, rebellious, and vile 
we have been as sinners, we may well 
be amazed at the love which would 
adopt us into the holy family of God, 
so that we may be regarded and treated 
as the children of the Most High. A 
prince could manifest no higher love 
for a wandering, ragged, vicious orphan 
boy, found in the streets, than by 
adopting him into his own family, and 
admitting him to the same privileges 
and honours as his own sons; and yet 
this would be a trifle compared with 
the honour which God has bestowed 
on us. IT The Father hath bestowed 
upon us. God, regarded as a Father, 
or as at the head of the universe con- 
sidered as one family. That we 
should be called the sons of God. That 
is, that we should be the sons of God — 
the word called being often used in the 
sense of to be. On the nature and 
privileges of adoption, see Notes on 
Rom. viii. 15 — 17, and 2 Cor. vi. 18, 
and practical remarks on that chapter, 
19, 20. IT Therefore the world know- 
eth us not. Does not understand out 
principles; the reasons of our conduct; 
the sources of our comforts and joy& 



S54 



I. JOHN. 



[A. Jj. ua 



2 Beloved, now are we the 
sons a of God ; and it doth not 
yet appear what we shall be : 
but we know that, when he shall 



The people of the world regard us as 
fanatics or enthusiasts; as foolish in 
abandoning the pleasures and pursuits 
which they engage in; as renouncing 
certain happiness for that which is un- 
certain; as cherishing false and delu- 
sive hopes in regard to the future, and 
as practising needless austerities, with 
nothing to compensate for the pleasures 
which are abandoned. There is no- 
thing which the gay, the ambitious, and 
the selfish less understand than they 
do the elements which go into the 
Christian's character, and the nature 
and source of the Christian's joys. 
IT Because it knew him not. Did not 
know the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, 
the world had no right views of the 
real character of the Lord Jesus when 
he was on the earth. They mistook 
him for an enthusiast or an impostor ; 
and it is no wonder that having wholly 
mistaken his character, they should 
mistake ours. On the fact that the 
world did not know him, see Notes on 
1 Cor. ii. 8. Acts iii. 17. Comp. John 
xvii. 25. On the fact that Christians 
may be expected to be regarded and 
treated as their Saviour was, see Notes 
on John xv. 18 — 20. Comp. Matt. x. 
24, 25. 

2. Beloved, now are we the sons of 
God. We now in fact sustain this 
rank and dignity, and on that we may 
reflect with pleasure and gratitude. It 
is in itself an exalted honour, and may 
be contemplated as such, whatever may 
be true in regard to what is to come. 
In the dignity and the privileges which 
we now enjoy, we may find a grateful 
subject of reflection, and a cause of 
thankfulness, even if we should look 
to nothing beyond, or when we con- 
template the fact by itself, f And it 
doth not yet appear what we shall be. 



appear, we shall be like him ; h 
for we shall see c him as he is. 

a Ro. 8. 14, 18. 
b 1 Co. 15. 49. Ph. 3. 21. 2 Pe. 1. 4. 
c Job 19. 28. Ps. 17. 15. Mat. 5. 8. 1 Co. 13. 12 



It is not fully revealed what we shall 
be hereafter ; what will be the full re- 
sult of being regarded as the children 
of God. There are, indeed, certain 
things which may be inferred as fol- 
lowing from this ; there is enough to 
animate us with hope, and to sustain 
us in the trials of life ; there is one 
thing which is clear, that we shall be 
like the Son of God, but what is fully 
involved in this is not made known. 
Perhaps (1.) It could not be so revealed 
that we could understand it, for that 
state may be so unlike the present that 
no words would fully convey the concep- 
tion to our minds ; perhaps (2.) It may 
be necessary to our condition here, as 
on probation, that no more light should 
be furnished in regard to the future 
than to stimulate us to make efforts to 
reach a world where all is light. Foi 
an illustration of the sentiment ex- 
pressed here by the apostle, comp. 
Notes on 2 Pet. i. 4. f But we know 
that, when he shall appear, we shall 
be like him. It is revealed to us that 
we shall be made like Christ; that 
is, in the bodies with which we shall 
be raised up, in character, in happi- 
ness, in glory. Comp. Notes on Phil, 
iii. 21. 2 Cor. iii. 18. This is enough 
to satisfy the Christian in his pros- 
pects for the future world. To be 
like Christ is the object of his su- 
preme aim. For that he lives, and all 
his aspirations in regard to the coming 
world may be summed up in this, — 
that he wishes to be like the glorified 
Son of God, and to share his honour? 
and his joys. See Notes on Phil. iii. 
10. IT For we shall see him as he is. 
It is clearly implied here that there will 
be an influence in beholding the Sa- 
viour as he is, which will tend to make 
us like him, or to transform us into his 



A. D. 90.] CHAPTER III. 355 

3 And every man that hath 4 Whosoever committeth sin 
this hope in him, purifieth him- transgresseth also the law : for sin 
self even as he is pure. is the transgression of the law. 



likeness. See the nature of this influ- 
ence explained in the Notes on 2 Cor. 
iii. 18. 

3. And every man that hath this 
hope in him. This hope of seeing the 
Saviour, and of being made like him ; 
that is, every true Christian. On the 
nature and influence of hope, see Notes 
on Rom. viii. 24, 25. IF Purifieth him- 
self. Makes himself holy. That is, 
under the influence of this hope of 
being like the Saviour, he puts forth 
those efforts in struggling against sin, 
and in overcoming his evil propensities, 
which are necessary to make him pure. 
The apostle would not deny that for 
the success of these efforts we are de- 
pendent on divine aid, but he brings 
into view, as is often done in the sacred 
writings, the agency of man himself 
as essentially connected with success. 
Comp. Phil. ii. 12. The particular 
thought here is, that the hope of being 
like Christ, and of being permitted to 
dwell with him, will lead a man to ear- 
nest efforts to become holy, and will be 
actually followed by such a result. 
IT Even as he is pure. The same kind 
of purity here ; the same degree here- 
after. That is, the tendency of such a 
hope is to make him holy now, though 
he may be imperfect ; the effect will be 
to make him perfectly holy in the 
world to come. It cannot be shown 
from this passage that the apostle 
meant to teach that any one actually 
becomes as pure in the present life as 
the Saviour is, that is, becomes per- 
fectly holy ; for all that is fairly implied 
in it is, that those who have this hope 
in them aim at the same purity, and 
will ultimately obtain it. But the 
apostle does not say that it is attained 
in this world. If the passage did teach 
this, it would teach it respecting every 
one who has this hope, and then the 
doctrine would be that no one can be 



a christian who does not become abso- 
lutely perfect on earth ; that is, not 
that some Christians may become per 
feet here, but that all actually do. But 
none, it is presumed, will hold this to 
be a true doctrine. A true Christian 
does not, indeed, habitually and wil- 
fully sin ; but no one can pretend that 
all Christians attain to a state of sinless 
perfection on earth, or are, in fact, as 
pure as the Saviour was. But unless 
the passage proves that every Christian 
becomes absolutely perfect in the pre- 
sent life, it does not prove that in fact 
any do. It proves (1.) That the ten- 
dency, or the fair influence of this hope 
is to make the Christian pure ; (2.) 
That all who cherish it will, in fact, 
aim to become as holy as the Saviour 
was ; and (3.) That this object will, 
at some future period, be accomplished. 
There is a world where all who are 
redeemed shall be perfectly holy. 

4. Whosoever commit teth sin trans- 
gresseth also the law. The law of God 
given to man as a rule of life. The 
object of the apostle here is to excite 
them to holiness, and to deter them 
from committing sin, perhaps in view 
of the fact stated in ver. 3, that every 
one who has the hope of heaven will 
aim to be holy like the Saviour. To 
confirm this, he shows them that, as a 
matter of fact, those who are born of 
God do lead lives of obedience (vs. 5 — 
10), and this he introduces by showing 
what is the nature of sin, in the verse 
before us. The considerations by which 
he would deter them from indulging in 
sin are the following : (c) all sin is a 
violation of the law of God (ver. 4) ; 
(5) the very object of the coming of 
Christ was to deliver men from sin 
(ver. 5) ; (c) those who are true Chris- 
tians do not habitually sin (ver. 6)* 
(d) those who sin cannot be true Chris- 
tians, but are of the devil (ver. 8); 



856 



I. JOHN. 



LA. D. 90 



and (e) he who is born of God has a 
germ or principle of true piety in him, 
and cannot sin. ver 9. It seems evi- 
dent that the apostle is here combating 
an opinion which then existed that 
men might sin and yet be true Chris- 
tians (ver. 7), and he apprehended that 
there was danger that this opinion 
would become prevalent. On what 
ground this opinion was held is un- 
known. Perhaps it was held that all 
that was necessary to constitute reli- 
gion was to embrace the doctrines of 
Christianity, or to be orthodox in the 
faith ; perhaps that it was not expected 
that men would become holy in this 
life, and therefore they might indulge 
in acts of sin ; perhaps that Christ 
came to modify and relax the law, and 
that the freedom which he procured 
for them was freedom to indulge in 
whatever men chose ; perhaps that, 
since Christians were heirs of all things, 
that they had a right to enjoy all things ; 
perhaps that the passions of men were 
so strong that they could not be re- 
strained, and that therefore it was not 
wrong to give indulgence to the pro- 
pensities with which our Creator has 
formed us. All these opinions have 
been held under various forms of Anti- 
nomianism, and' it is not at all impro- 
bable that some or all of them prevailed 
in the time of John. The argument 
which he urges would be applicable to 
any of them. The consideration which 
he here states is, that all sin is a trans- 
gression of law, and that he who com- 
mits it, under whatever pretence, is to 
be held as a transgressor of the law. 
The literal rendering'of this passage is, 
« He who doeth sin (afxaptucw) doeth 
also transgression' (a,vofilav)» Sin is 
the generic term embracing all that 
would be wrong. The word transgres- 
sion (avoftla) is a specific term showing 
where the wrong lay, to wit, in violat- 
ing the law. IT For sin is the trans- 
gressioti of the /aw. That is, all sin 
involves this as a consequence that it 
is a violation of the law. The object 



of the apostle is not so much to define 
sin, as to deter from its commission by 
stating what is its essential nature — 
though he has in fact given the best 
definition of it (hat could be given. 
The essential idea is, that God has 
given a law to men to regulate their 
conduct, and that whatever is a depart- 
ure from that law in any way is held 
to be sin. The law measures our 
duty, and measures therefore the degree 
of guilt when it is not obeyed. The 
law determines what is right in all 
cases, and, of course, what is wrong 
when it is not complied with. The law 
is the expression of what is the will of 
God as to what we shall do ; and when 
that is not done, there is sin. The law 
determines what we shall love or not 
love ; when our passions and appetites 
shall be bounded and restrained, and 
to what extent they may be indulged ; 
what shall be our motives and aims in 
living; how we shall act toward God 
and toward men ; and whenever, in 
any of these respects, its requirements 
are not complied with there is sin. 
This will include every thing in rela- 
tion to which the law is given, and 
will embrace what we omit to do when 
the law has commanded a thing to be 
done, as well as a positive act of trans- 
gression where the law has forbidden a 
thing. This idea is properly found in 
the original word, rendered transgres- 
sion of the law (avofxia)- This woro 
occurs in the Ne<-- Testament only in 
the following places: Matt. vii. 23 
xiii. 41 ; xxiii. 28 ; xxiv. 12. Rom. iv. 
7 ; vi. 19. 2 Thess. ii. 7. Titus ii. 14. 
Heb. i. 9 ; viii. 12 ; x. 17, in all which 
places it is rendered iniquity and ini- 
quities ; in 2 Cor. vi. 14, where it is 
rendered unrighteousness ; and in the 
verse before us twice. It properly 
means lawlessness, in the sense that the 
requirements of the law are not con- 
formed to, or complied with; that is, 
either by not obeying it, or by positively 
violating it. When a parent commands 
I a child to do a thing and he does not 



A. D. 90.J CHAPTER III 

5 And ye know a that he was 

a He. 9. 26, 28. 



do it, he is as really guilty of violating 
the law as when he does a thing which 
is positively forbidden. This important 
verse, therefore, may be considered in 
two aspects : as a definition of the na- 
ture of sin, and as an argument against 
indulgence in it, or against committing 
it. I. As a definition of the nature of 

' sin. It teaches (a) that there is a rule 
of law by which the conduct of man- 
kind is to be regulated and governed, 
and to which it is to be conformed. 
(b) That there is sin in all cases where 
that law is not complied with, and that 
all who do not comply with it are 
guilty before God. (c) That the par- 
ticular thing which determines the 
guilt of sin, and which measures it, is 
that it is a departure from law, and 
consequently that there is no sin where 
there is no departure from law. The 
essential thing is, that the law has not 
been respected and obeyed, and sin de- 
rives its character and aggravation from 
that fact. No one can reasonably 
doubt as to the accuracy of this defini- 
tion of sin. It is founded on the fact 
(a) that God has an absolute right to 
prescribe what we may and may not 
do ; (6) that it is to be presumed that 
what he prescribes will be in accord- 
ance with what is right ; and (c) that 
nothing else in fact constitutes sin. 

■ Sin can consist in nothing else. It 
does not consist of a particular height 
of stature, or a particular complexion ; 
of a feeble intellect, or an intellect 
made feeble, as the result of any for- 
mer apostacy ; of any constitutional 
propensity, or any disposition founded 
in our nature as creatures. For none 
of these things do our consciences con- 
demn us, and however we may lament 
them, we have no consciousness of 
wrong. II. As an argument against 
the commission of sin. This argu- 
ment may be considered as consisting 
of two things : the wrong that is done 



357 

manifested to take away our sins ; 
and in him is no sin. 



by the violation of law, and the exposure 
to the penalty. (1.) The wrong itself. 
This wrong as an argument to deter 
from sin arises mainly from two things: 
(a) because sin is a violation of the 
will of God, and it is in itself wrong 
to disregard that will, and (6) be- 
cause it is to be presumed that when 
God has given law there is a good 
reason why he has done it. (2.) The 
fact that the law has a penalty is an 
argument for not violating the law. All 
law has a penalty ; that is, there is 
some suffering, disadvantage, forfeit of 
privileges, &c, which the violation of 
law draws in its train, and which is to 
be regarded as an expression of the 
sense which the lawgiver entertains of 
the value of his law, and of the evil 
of disobeying it. Many of these penal- 
ties of the violation of the divine law 
are seen in this life, and all will be cer- 
tain to occur sooner or later, in this 
world or in the world to come. With 
such views of the law, and of sin ; of 
his obligations, and of the evils of dis- 
obedience, a Christian should not, and 
will not, deliberately and habitually 
violate the law of God. 

5. And ye know that he was mani- 
fested. The Lord Jesus, the Son of 
God. ' You know that he became in- 
carnate, or appeared among men for the 
very purpose of putting an end to sin.' 
Matt. i. 21. Comp. Notes on 1 Tim. 
iii. 16. This is the second argument 
in this paragraph (vs. 4 — 10), by which 
the apostle would deter us from sin. 
The argument is a clear one, and is 
perhaps the strongest that can be made 
to bear on the mind of a true Chris- 
tian — that the Lord Jesus saw sin to 
be so great an evil that he came into 
our world, and gave himself to the 
bitter sorrows of death on the cross, to 
redeem usfrom it. <ft To take away 
our sins. The essential argument 
here is, that the whole work of Christ 



tfD8 I. JC 

6 Whosoever abideth in him 
sinneth not : whosoever ° sinneth, 

a 3 Jno. 11. 

was designed to deliver us from the 
dominion of sin, not to furnish us the 
means of indulgence in it; and that, 
therefore, we should be deterred from 
it by all that Christ has done and suf- 
fered for us. He perverts the whole 
design of the coming of the Saviour 
who supposes that his work was in any 
degree designed to procure for his fol- 
lowers the indulgences of sin, or who 
so interprets the methods of his grace 
as to suppose that it is now lawful for 
him to indulge his guilty passions. 
The argument essentially is this : (1.) 
That we profess to be the followers of 
Christ, and should carry out his ends 
and views in coming into the world ; 
(2.) That the great and leading pur- 
pose of his coming was to set us free 
from the bondage of transgression ; 
(3.) That in doing this he gave himself 
up to a life of poverty, and shame, and 
sorrow, and to a most bitter death on 
the cross; and (4.) That we should 
not indulge in that from which he 
came to deliver us, and which cost him 
so much toil and such a death. How 
could we indulge in that which has 
brought heavy calamity on the head of 
a father, or which has pierced a sister's 
heart with many sorrows'? Still more, 
how can we be so ungrateful and hard- 
hearted as to indulge in that which 
crushed our Redeemer in death 1 ^And 
in him is no sin. An additional con- 
sideration to show that we should be 
holy. As he was perfectly pure and 
spotless so should all his followers aim 
to be; and none can truly pretend to 
be his who do not desire and design to 
become like him. On the personal 
holiness of the Lord Jesus, see Notes 
on Heb. vii. 26, and 1 Pet. ii. 23. 

6. Whosoever abideth in him. See 
ch. ii. 6. The word here employed 
(ftma) properly means to remain, to 
continue, to abide. It is used of per- 



BN. [A. D 90 

hath not seen him, neither known 
him. 



sons remaining or dwelling in a place, 
in the sense of abiding there perma- 
nently, or lodging there, and this is the 
common meaning of the word. Matt, 
x. 11 ; xxvi. 38. Mark vi. 10. Luke i. 
56, et sdepe. In the writings of John, 
however, it is quite a favourite word to 
denote the relation which one sustains 
to another, in the sense of being united 
to him, or remaining with him in affec- 
tion and. love ; being with him in heart, 
and mind, and will, as one makes his 
home in a dwelling. The sense seems 
to be that we have some sort of rela- 
tion to him similar to that which we 
have to our home; that is, some fixed 
and permanent attachment to him. We 
live in him; we remain steadfast in 
our attachment to him, as we do to our 
own home. For the use of the word in 
John, in whose writings it so frequently 
occurs, see John v. 38 ; vi. 56 ; xiv. 10, 
17; xv. 4, 5, 6, 7, 9. 1 John ii. 6, 10, 

14, 17, 27, 28; iii. 6, 24; iv. 12, 13, 

15, 16. In the passage before us, as> 
in his writings generally, it refers to 
one who lives the life of a Christian, 
as if he were always with Christ, and 
abode with him. It refers to the Chris- 
tian considered as adhering steadfastly 
to the Saviour, and not as following 
him with transitory feelings, emotions, 
and raptures. It does not of itself ne- 
cessarily mean that he will always do 
this; that is, it does not prove the doc- 
trine of the perseverance of the saints, 
but it refers to the adherence to the 
Saviour as a continuous state of mind, 
or as having permanency ; meaning 
that there is a life of continued faith in 
him. It is of a person thus attached 
to the Saviour, that the apostle makes 
the important declaration in the passage 
before us, that he does not sin. This 
is the third argument to show that the 
child of God should be pure, and the 
substance of the argument is, that as a 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER III. 



359 



matter of fact the child of God is not 
a sinner. ^ Sinneth not. There has 
been much difference of opinion in re- 
gard to this expression, and the similar 
declaration in ver. 9. Not a few have 
maintained that it teaches the 4 doctrine 
of perfection,' or that Christians may 
live entirely without sin ; and some 
have held that the apostle meant to 
teach that this is always the character- 
istic of the true Christian. Against 
the interpretation, however, which sup- 
poses that it teaches that the Christian 
is absolutely perfect, and lives wholly 
without sin, there are three insuperable 
objections : (1.) If it teaches that doc- 
trine at all, it teaches that all Chris- 
tians are perfect ; < whosoever abideth 
in him,' < whosoever is born of God,' * he 
cannot sin' (ver. 9). (2.) This is not 
true, and cannot be held to be true by 
those who have any just views of what 
the children of God have been and are. 
Who can maintain that Abraham, or 
Isaac, or Jacob ; that Moses, David, or 
Job ; that Peter, John, or Paul, were 
absolutely perfect, and were never, after 
their regeneration, guilty of an act of 
sin 1 Certainly they never affirmed it 
of themselves, nor does the sacred re- 
cord attribute to them any such perfec- 
tion. And who can affirm this of all 
who give evidence of true piety in the 
world 1 Who can of themselves 1 Are 
we to come to the painful conclusion 
that all who are not absolutely perfect 
in thought, word, and deed, are desti- 
tute of any religion, and are to be set 
down as hypocrites or self-deceivers 1 
And yet, unless this passage proves 
that all who have been born again are 
absolutely perfect, it will not prove it 
of any one, for the affirmation is not 
made of a part, or of what any favoured 
individual may be, but of what every 
one is in fact who is born of God. (3.) 
This interpretation is not necessary to 
a fair exposition of the passage. The 
language used is such as would be em- 
ployed by any writer if he designed to 
f *y of one that he is not characteristi- 



cally a sinner ; that he is a good man ; 
that he does not commit habitual and 
wilful transgression. Such language 
is common throughout the Bible, when 
it is said of one man that he is a saint, 
and of another that he is a sinner ; of 
one that he is righteous, and of another 
that he is wicked ; of one that he obeys 
the law of God, and of another that he 
does not. John expresses it strongly, 
but he affirms no more in fact than 
is affirmed elsewhere. The passage 
teaches, indeed, most important truths in 
regard to the true Christian, and the fail 
and proper meaning may be summed 
up in the following particulars : (a) He 
who is born again does not sin habit- 
ually, or is not habitually a sinner. If 
he does wrong, it is when he is over- 
taken by temptation, and the act if! 
against the habitual inclination and 
purpose of his soul. If a man sina 
habitually, it proves that he has never 
been renewed. (6) That he who is 
born again does not do wrong deliber- 
ately and of design, He means to do 
right. He is not wilfully and deliber- 
ately a sinner. If a man deliberately 
and intentionally does wrong, he shows 
that he is not actuated by the spirit of 
religion. It is true that when one does 
wrong, or commits sin, there is a mo- 
mentary assent of the will ; but it is 
under the influence of passion, or ex- 
citement, or temptation, or provocation, 
and not as the result of a deliberate 
plan or purpose of the soul. A man 
who deliberately and intentionally does 
a wrong thing shows that he is not a 
true Christian ; and if this were all 
that is understood by perfection, then 
there would be many who are perfect, 
for there are many, very many Chris- 
tians, who cannot recollect an instance 
for many years in which they have in- 
tentionally and deliberately done a 
wrong thing. Yet these very Chris- 
tians see much corruption in their own 
hearts over which to mourn, and against 
which they earnestly strive; in com- 
paring themselves with the perfect law 



360 



I. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90 



7 Little children, let no man 
deceive you: he a that doeth 
righteousness, is righteous, even 
as he is righteous. 

of God, and with the perfect example 
of the Saviour, they see much in which 
they come short, (c) He who is born 
again will not sin finally, or will not 
fall away. 'His seed remaineth in 
him.' ver. 9. See Notes on that verse. 
There is a principle of grace by which 
he will ultimately be restrained and re- 
covered. This, it seems to me, is fairly 
implied in the language used by John ; 
for if a man might be a Christian, and 
yet wholly fall away and perish, how 
could it be said with any truth that 
such a man 'sinneth. not;' how that 
' he doth not commit sin ;' how that 
'his seed remaineth in him, and he 
cannot sin V Just the contrary would 
be true if this were so. IT Whosoever 
sinneth. That is, as explained above, 
habitually, deliberately, characteristi- 
cally, and finally. Doddridge. 'Who 
habitually and avowedly sinneth.' 
IT Hath not seen him, nor known him. 
Has had no just views of the Saviour, 
or of the nature of true religion. In 
other words, cannot be a true Chris- 
tian. 

7. Little children. Notes on ch. ii. 1. 
f Let no man deceive you. That is, 
in the matter under consideration ; to 
wit, by persuading you that a man 
may live in sinful practices, and yet be 
a true child of God. From this it is 
clear that the apostle supposed there 
were some who would attempt to do 
this, and it was to counteract their arts 
that he made these positive statements 
in regard to the nature of true religion. 
IT He that doeth righteousness is right- 
eous. This is laid down as a great and 
undeniable principle in religion — a 
maxim which none could dispute, and 
as important as it is plain. And it 
is worthy of all the emphasis which the 
apostle lays on it. The man who does 
righteousness, or leads an upright life, 



8 He b that committeth sin, is 
of the devil; for the devil sin- 
neth from the beginning. For 

a Eze. 18. 5-9. Ro. 2. 13. b Jno. 8. 44. 

is a righteous man, and no other one 
is. No matter how any one may claim 
that he is justified by faith ; no matter 
how he may conform to the external 
duties and rites of religion ; no matter 
how zealous he may be for orthodoxy, 
or for the order of the church ; no mat- 
ter what visions and raptures he may 
have, or of what peace and joy in his 
soul he may boast ; no matter how little 
he may fear death, or hope for heaven, 
unless he is in fact a righteous man in 
the proper sense of the term, he cannot 
be a child of God. Comp. Matt. vii. 16 
— 23. If he is, in the proper sense of 
the word, a man who keeps the law of 
God, and leads a holy life, he is right- 
eous, for that is religion. Such a man, 
however, will always feel that his 
claim to be regarded as a righteous man 
is not to be traced to what he is in him- 
self, but to what he owes to the grace 
of God. % Even as he is righteous. 
See Notes on ver. 3. Not necessarily 
in this world to the same degree, but 
with the same kind of righteousness. 
Hereafter he will become wholly free 
from all sin like his God and Saviour 
ver. 2. 

8. He that committeth sin. Habit- 
ually, wilfully, characteristically. IT Is 
of the devil. This cannot mean that 
no one who commits any sin, or who 
is not absolutely perfect, can be a 
Christian, for this would cut off the 
great mass, even according to the be- 
lief of those who hold that the Chris- 
tian may be perfectly holy, from all 
claim to the Christian character. But 
what the apostle here says is true in 
two senses : (1.) That all who commit 
sin, even true believers, so far as they 
are imperfect, in this respect resemble 
Satan, and are under his influence, 
since sin, just so far as it exists at all, 
makes us resemble him ; (2.) All who 



A. D. 90.] 

this purpose the Son of God was 
manifested, that a he might de- 
stroy the works of the devil. 



CHAPTER III. m 

9 Whosoever b is born of God 
doth not commit sin; for his 

a He. 2. 14. b c. 5. 18. 



habitually and characteristically sin are 
of the devil. This latter was evidently 
the principal idea in the mind of the 
apostle. His object here is to show 
that those who sinned, in the sense in 
which it would seem some maintained 
that the children of God might sin, 
could have no real evidence of piety, 
but really belonged to Satan. IT For 
the devil sinneth from the beginning. 
The beginning of the world ; or from 
the first account we have of him. It 
doeu not mean that he sinned from the 
beginning of his existence, for he was 
made holy like the other angels. Notes, 
Judo 6. The meaning is, that he in- 
troduced sin into the universe, and that 
he has continued to practice it ever 
since. The word sinneth here, implies 
continued and habitual sin. He did 
not commit one act of sin and then re- 
form ; but he has continued, and still 
continues his course of sin. This may 
confirm what has been already said 
about the kind of sin that John refers 
to. He speaks of sinning habitually, 
continuously, wilfully, and any one 
who does this, shows that he is under 
the influence of him whose characteris- 
tic it has been and is to sin. IT For 
this purpose the Son of God was man- 
ifested. Became incarnate and ap- 
peared among men. ver. 5. Comp. 
Notes on 1 Tim. iii. 16. U That he 
might destroy the works of the devil. 
All his plans of wickedness, and his 
control over the hearts of men. Comp. 
Notes on Matt. viii. 39. Mark i. 24. 
Heb. ii. 14. The argument here is, 
that as the Son of God came to destroy 
all the works of the devil, he cannot be 
his true follower who lives in sin. 

9. Whosoever is born of God doth 
not commit sin. This passage must 
either mean that they who are born of 
God, that is, who are true Christians, 
do not sin habitually and characters- 
31 



tically ; or that every one who is a true 
Christian is absolutely perfect, and 
never commits any sin. If it can be 
used as referring to the doctrine of ab- 
solute perfection at all, it proves, not 
that Christians may be perfect, or that 
a portion of them are, but that all are. 
But who can maintain this] Who 
can believe that John meant to affirm 
this ? Nothing can be clearer than 
that the passage has not this meaning 
and that John did not teach a doctrine 
so contrary to the current strain of the 
scriptures, and to fact ; and if he did 
not teach this, then in this whole pas- 
sage he refers to those who are habitual 
ly and characteristically righteous. %For 
his seed remaineth in him. There is 
much obscurity in this expression 
though the general sense is clear, which 
is, that there is something abiding in 
the heart of the true Christian which 
the apostle here calls seed, which will 
prevent his sinning. The word 4 his' 
in this phrase, < his seed,' may refer 
either to the individual himself — in the 
sense that this can now be properly 
called his, inasmuch as it is a part of 
himself, or a principle abiding in hkn* 
or it may refer to God — in the sense 
that what is here called f seed' is his, 
that is, he has implanted it, or it is a 
germ of divine origin. Robinson (Lex. s 
understands it in the latter sense, and 
so also do Macknight, Doddridge 
Liicke, and others, and this is probably 
the true interpretation. The word seed 
(tSrCspua) means properly seed sown, 
as of grain, plants, trees; then any 
thing that resembles it, any thing which 
germinates, or which springs up, or is 
produced. It is applied in the New 
Testament to the word of God, or the 
gospel, as that which produces effects in 
the heart and life similar to what seed 
that is sown does. Comp. Matt, xiii 
26, 37, 38, Augustin, Clemens (A!?z^ 



tm 

seed * remaineth in him : and 
he cannot sin, because he is 
born of God. 

10 In this the children of God 

a 1 Pet. 1. 23. 

Grotius, Kosenmuller, Benson, and 
Bloomfield, suppose that this is the sig- 
nification of the word here. The pro- 
per idea, according to this, is that the 
seed referred to is truth, which God has 
implanted or sown in the heart, from 
which it may be expected that the 
fruits of righteousness will grow. But 
that which abides in the heart of the 
Christian is not the naked word of 
God ; the mere gospel, or mere truth ; 
it is rather that word as made vital and 
efficacious by the influences of his 
Spirit ; the germ of the divine life ; the 
principles of true piety in the soul. 
Comp. the words of Virgil : — igneus 
est illi vigor et ccelestis origo semini. 
The exact idea here, as it seems to me, 
is not that the < seed' refers to the word 
of God, as Augustin and others sup- 
pose, or to the Spirit of God, but to 
he germ of piety which has been pro- 
duced in the heart by the word and 
Spirit of God, and which may be re- 
garded as having been implanted there 
by God himself, and which may be ex- 
pected to produce holiness in the life. 
There is, probably, as Liicke supposes, 
an allusion in the word to the fact that 
we are begotten (6 ysysw^wii/oj) of God. 
The word remaineth (fxavu) (Comp. 
Notes on ver. 6) is a favourite expres- 
sion of John. The expression here 
used by John, thus explained, would 
seem to imply two things : (1.) That 
the germ or seed of religion implanted 
in the soul, abides there as a constant, 
vital principle, so that he who is born 
of God cannot become habitually a sin- 
ner; and (2.) That it will so continue 
to live there that he will not fall away 
and perish. The idea is clearly that 
the germ or principle of piety so per- 
manently abides in the soul, that he 
who is renewed never can become again 



[A. D. 90, 

are manifest, and the children 
of the devil : whosoever doeth 
not righteousness, is not of God, 
neither he that loveth not his • 
brother. 

characteristically a sinner. IT And he 
cannot sin. Not merely, he will not ; 
but he cannot ; that is, in the sense re- 
ferred to. This cannot mean that one 
who is renewed has not physical ability 
to do wrong, for every moral agent has ; 
nor can it mean that no one who is a 
true Christian never does, in fact, do 
wrong in thought, word, or deed, for 
no one could seriously maintain that : 
but it must mean that there is somehow • 
a certainty as absolute as if it were 
physically impossible, that those who 
are born of God will not be character- 
istically and habitually sinners; that 
they will not sin in such a sense as to 
lose all true religion and be numbered 
with transgressors ; that they will not 
fall away and perish. Unless this pas- 
sage teaches that no one who is re- 
newed ever can sin in any sense ; or 
that every one who becomes a Chris- 
tian is, and must be, absolutely and al- 
ways perfect, no words could more 
clearly prove that true Christians will 
never fall from grace and perish. How 
can what the apostle here says be true, 
if a real Christian can fall away and 
become again a sinner ? If Because 
he is born of God. Or begotten of 
God. God has given him by the new 
birth, real, spiritual life, and that life 
can never become extinct. 

10. In this the children of God are 
manifest, &c. That is, this furnishes 
a test of their true character. The test 
is found in doing righteousness, and in 
the love of the brethren. The former 
he had illustrated ; the latter he now 
proceeds to illustrate. The general 
idea is, that if a man is not truly a 
righteous man, and does not lcve the 
brethren, he cannot be a child of God 
Perhaps by the phrase < in this,' using 
a pronoun in the singular number, hs 



I. JOHN. 



A.D. 90.] 

11 For this 
that ye heard 



is the 1 message 
from the begin- 
ning, that a we should love one 
another. 

12 Not as Cain, b who was of 
that wicked one, and slew his 

i or, commandment. a Jno. 15. 12. 



CHAPTER III. 3G3 

brother. And wherefore slew 
he him? Because his own works 
were evil, and his brothers 
righteous. 

13 Marvel not, my brethren, 
if the world c hate you. 

b Ge. 4. 4-8. c Jno. 15. 18, 19. 



means to intimate that an important 
part of righteousness consists in bro- 
therly love. IT Whosoever doeth not 
righteousness, is not of God* In ver. 
7, he had said that 1 he that doeth right- 
eousness is of God.' If that is true, 
then what he here affirms must be true 
also, that a man who does not right- 
eousness is not of God. The general 
idea is the same, that no one can be a 
true Christian who is not in fact a 
righteous man. IT Neither he that 
loveth not his brother. The illustration 
of this point continues to ver. 18. The 
general sense is, that brotherly love is 
essential to the Christian character, and 
that he who does not possess it cannot 
be a Christian. On the nature and 
importance of brotherly love as an evi- 
dence of piety, see Notes on John xiii. 
34, 35. 

11. For this is the message. Marg., 
commandment. In the received text, 
this is ayyexCa (a message brought) ; 
in several MSS., and in later editions, it 
is !rtayy£?aa (annunciation, announce- 
ment) ; an order given, or a command- 
ment. Acts xxiii. 21. It is not very 
material which reading is followed. 
The word command or rule would ex- 
press the sense with sufficient clear- 
ness. The reference is to the law given 
by the Saviour as a permanent direc- 
tion to his disciples. *[ That ye heard 
from the beginning, that we should 
love one another. See Notes on John 
xiii. 34, 35. 1 John ii. 7. 

12. Not as Cain. Not manifesting 
the spirit which Cain did. His was a 
most remarkable and striking instance 
of a want of love to a brother, and the 
case was well adapted to illustrate the 



propriety of the duty which the apostle 
is enjoining. See Gen. iv. 4 — 8. IT Who 
was of that wicked one. Of the devil ; 
that is, he was under his influence, and 
acted from his instigation. t And 
wherefore slew he him ? Because his 
own works were evil, and his brother's 
righteous. He acted under the influ- 
ence of envy. He was dissatisfied that 
his own offering was not accepted, and 
that his brother's was. The apostle 
seems desirous to guard those to whom 
he wrote against the indulgence of any 
feelings that were the opposite of love ; 
from any thing like envy toward more 
highly favoured brethren, by showing 
to what this would lead if fairly acted 
out, as in the case of Cain. A large 
part of the crimes of the earth have 
been caused, as in the murder of Abel, 
by the want of brotherly love. Nothing 
but love would be necessary to put an 
end to the crimes, and consequently to 
a large part of the misery, of the world. 

13. Marvel not. Do not think it so 
unusual, or so little to be expected, as 
to excite astonishment. TT If the world 
hate you. The emphasis here is to be 
placed on the word you. The apostle 
had just adverted to the fact that Cain 
hated Abel, his brother, without cause, 
and he says that they were not to deem 
it strange if the world hated them in 
like manner. The Saviour (John xv. 
17, 18) introduced these subjects in 
the same connection. In enjoining the 
duty of brotherly love on his disciples, 
he adverts to the fact that they must 
expect to be hated by the world, and 
tells them to remember that the world 
hated him before it hated them. The 
object of all this was to show mora 



B64 



I. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



14 We know that we have 
passed from death unto life, be- 
cause we love the brethren. He 
that loveth not his brother, 
abideth in death. 

Nearly the necessity of strong and ten- 
ler mutual affection among Christians, 
«ince they could hope for none from 
:he world. See Notes on John xv. 
L8, 19. 

14. We know that we have passed 
from death unto life. From spiritual 
death (Notes, Eph. ii. 1) to spiritual 
life; that is, that we are true Chris- 
tians. IT Because we love the brethren. 
The sentiment here is, that it is an in- 
fallible evidence of true piety if we love 
the followers of Christ as such. See 
this sentiment illustrated in the Notes 
on John xiii. 35. But how easy it 
would seem to be to apply such a test 
of piety as this ! Who cannot judge 
accurately of his own feelings, and de- 
termine whether he loves a Christian 
because he bears the name and image 
of the Saviour — loves him the more, 
just in proportion as he bears that 
image 1 Who cannot, if he chooses, 
look beyond the narrow bounds of his 
own sect, and determine whether he is 
pleased with the true Christian charac- 
ter wherever it may be found, and 
whether he would prefer to find his 
friends among those who bear the 
name and the image of the Son of God, 
{han among the people of the world ] 
The Saviour meant that his followers 
should be known by this badge of dis- 
ci pleship all over the world (John xiii. 
34, 35) ; John says, in carrying out 
the sentiment, that Christians, by this 
test, may know among themselves whe- 
ther they have any true religion. % He 
that loveth not his brother, abideth in 
death. Remains dead in sins ; that is, 
he has never been converted. Comp. 
Notes on ver. 6. As love to the Chris- 
tian brotherhood is essential to true 
piety, it follows that he who has not 
that remains unconverted, or is in a 



15 Whosoever b hateth his bro- 
ther is a murderer : and ye know 
that no murderer hath eternal 
life abiding in him. 

a c. 2. 9, 11. b Mat. 5. 21, 22. 

state of spiritual death. He is by na- 
ture dead in sin, and unless he has 
evidence that he is brought out of that 
state, he remains or abides in it. 

15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a 
murderer, &c. That is, he has the spirit 
of a murderer; he has that which, if 
it were acted out, would lead him to 
commit murder, as it did Cain. The 
private malice, the secret grudge, the 
envy which is cherished in the heart, 
is murderous in its tendency, and were 
it not for the outward restraints of hu- 
man laws, and the dread of punish- 
ment, it would often lead to the act of 
murder. The apostle does not say 
that he who hates his brother, though 
he does not in fact commit murder, is 
guilty to the same degree as if he had 
actually done it ; but he evidently 
means to '' say that the spirit which 
would lead to murder is there, and that 
God will hold him responsible for it. 
Nothing is wanting but the removal 
of outward restraints to lead to the 
commission of the open deed, and God 
judges men as he sees them to be in 
their hearts. What a fearful declara- 
tion then is this ! How many real 
murderers there are on the earth be- 
sides those who are detected and pun- 
ished, and besides those open violators 
of the laws of God and man who go at 
large ! And who is there that should 
not feel humbled and penitent in view 
of his own heart, and grateful for that 
sovereign mercy which has restrained 
him from open acts of guilt : for who 
is there who has not at some period of 
his life, and perhaps often, indulged in 
feelings of hatred, and envy, and malice 
towards others, which, if acted out, 
would have led to the commission of 
the awful crime of taking human life 1 
Any man may well shudder at the re- 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER III. 



365 



16 Hereby a perceive we the 
love of God, because he laid 

a Jno. 15. 13. Ro. 5. 8. 

membrance of the secret sins of his own 
heart, and at the thought of what he 
would have been but for the restraining 
grace of God. And how wonderful is 
that grace which, in the case of the 
true Christian, not only restrains and 
checks, but which effectually subdues 
all these feelings, and implants in their 
phce the principles of love ! 

1 6. Hereby perceive we the love of 
God. The words < of God' are not in 
the original, and should not have been 
introduced into the translation, though 
th*y are found in the Latin Vulgate, 
an.l in the Genevan versions, and in 
one manuscript. They would natu- 
ral'y convey the idea that God laid 
down his life for us ; or that God him- 
self, in his divine nature, suffered. But 
th s idea is not expressed in this pas- 
sage as it is in the original, and of 
coarse no argument can be derived 
from it either to prove that Christ is 
God, or that the divine nature is capa- 
ble of suffering. The original is much 
more expressive and emphatic than it 
is with this addition: « By this we*know 
love that is, we know what true love 
is ; we see a most affecting and striking 
illustration of its nature. Love itself- — 
its real nature, its power, its sacrifices, 
its influences, was seen in its highest 
form, when the Son of God gave him- 
self to die on a cross. For an illustra- 
tion of the sentiment, see Notes on 
John iii. 16, and xv. 13. ^ Because 
he laid down his life for us. There 
can be no doubt that the Saviour is 
here referred to, though his name is 
not mentioned particularly. There are 
several instances in the New Testament 
where he is mentioned under the gen- 
eral appellation < he,' as one who was 
well known, and about whom the 
writers were accustomed to speak. 
TT And we ought to lay down our lives 
for the brethren. For the good of 
31* 



down his life for us : and we 
ought to lay down our lives for 
the brethren. 

our fellow-Christians, if it be neces- 
sary. That is, circumstances may occur 
where it would be proper to do it, and 
we ought always to be ready to do it. 
The spirit which led the Saviour to 
sacrifice his life for the good of the 
church, should lead us to do the same 
thing for our brethren if circumstances 
should require it. That this is a cor- 
rect principle no one can doubt : for 
(1.) The Saviour did it, and we are 
bound to imitate his example, and to 
possess his spirit ; (2.) The prophets, 
apostles, and martyrs did it, laying 
down their lives in the cause of truth, 
and for the good of the church and the 
world ; and (3.) It has always been 
held that it is right and proper, in cer- 
tain circumstances, for a man to lay 
down his life for the good of others. 
So we speak of the patriot who sacri- 
fices his life for the good of his country ; 
so we feel in the case of a shipwreck, 
that it may be the duty of a captain to 
sacrifice his life for the good of his 
passengers and crew ; so in case of a 
pestilential disease, a physician should 
not regard his own life, if he may save 
others; and so we always hold the 
man up to honour who is willing to 
jeopard his own life on noble princi- 
ples of self-denial for the good of his 
fellow-men. In what cases this should 
occur the apostle does not state; but 
the general principle would seem to be, 
that it is to be done when a greater 
good would result from our self-sacri- 
fice than from carefully guarding our 
own lives. Thus, in the case of a pa- 
triot, his death, in the circumstances, 
might be of greater value to his country 
than his life would be ; or, his exposing 
himself to death a greater service to 
his country than it would be if that 
should not be done. Thus the Saviour 
laid down his life for the good of man- 
kind ; thus the apostles exposed their 



L JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



17 But a whoso hath this 
world's good, and seeth his bro- 
ther have need, and shutteth up 

a De. 15. 7. 

lives to constant peril in extending the 
principles of religion ; and thus the 
martyrs surrendered their lives in the 
cause of the church and of truth. In 
like manner we ought to be ready to 
hazard our lives, and even to lay them 
down, if in that way we may promote 
the cause of truth, and the salvation of 
sinners, or serve our Christian brethren. 
In what way this injunction was un- 
derstood by the primitive Christians, 
may be perceived from what the world 
is reported to have said of them (Ter- 
tull. Apol. c. 39), " Behold, how they 
love one another; they are ready to 
die for one another." So Eusebius 
(Eccl. Hist. vii. 22) says of Christians, 
that 4 in a time of plague they visited 
one another, and not only hazarded 
their lives, but actually lost them in 
their zeal to preserve the lives of others.' 
We are not indeed to throw away our 
lives ; we are not to expose them in a 
rash, reckless, imprudent manner ; but 
when, in the discharge of duty, we are 
placed in a situation where life is ex- 
posed to danger, we are not to shrink 
from the duty, or to run away from it. 
Perhaps the following would embrace 
the principal instances of the duty here 
enjoined by the apostle : (1.) We ought 
to have such love for the church that 
we should be willing to die for it, as a 
patriot is willing to die for his country ; 
(2.) We ought to have such love for 
Christians as to be willing to jeopard 
our lives to aid them — as in case of a 
pestilence or plague, or when they are 
in danger by fire, or flood, or foes; (3.) 
We ought to have such love for the 
truth as to be willing to sacrifice our 
lives rather than deny it; (4.) We 
ought to have such love for the cause 
of our Master as to be willing to cross 
oceans, and snows, and sands ; to visit 
distant and barbarous regions, though 



his bowels of compassion from 
him, how h dwelleth the love of 
God in him? 

b c. 4. 20. 

at imminent risk of our lives, and 
though with the prospect that we shall 
never see our country again; (5.) We 
ought to have such love for the church 
that we shall engage heartily and con- 
stantly in services of labour and self- 
sacrifice on its account, until, our work 
being done, exhausted nature shall 
sink to rest in the grave. In one 
word, we should regard ourselves as 
devoted to the service of the Redeemer, 
living or dying to be found engaged in 
his cause. If a case should actually 
occur where the question would arise 
whether a man would abandon his 
Christian brother or die, he ought not 
to hesitate ; in all cases he should re- 
gard his life as consecrated to the cause 
of Zion and its friends. Once, in the 
times of primitive piety, there was 
much of this spirit in the world ; how 
little, it is to be feared, does it prevail 
now ! 

17. But whoso hath this world's 
good. Has property — called < this 
worlds good,' or a good pertaining to 
this world, because it is of value to us 
only as it meets our wants this side the 
grave ; and perhaps also because it is 
sought supremely by the men of the 
world. The general meaning of this 
verse, in connection with the previous 
verse, is, that if we ought to be willing 
to lay down our lives for others, we 
ought to be willing to make those com- 
paratively smaller sacrifices which are 
necessary to relieve them in their dis- 
tresses; and that if we are unwilling 
to do this, we can have no evidence 
that the love of God dwells in us. 
f And seeth his brother have need. 
Need of food, of raiment, of shelter; 
or sick, and poor, and unable to provide 
for his own wants and those of his fa- 
mily, t And shutteth up his bowels 
of compassion from him. The bowels, 



A. J. 90.] 



CHAPTER III. 



367 



18 My little children, let a us 
not love in word, neither in 
tongue ; but in deed and in 
truth. 

a Eze. 33. 31. Ro. 12. 9. Ja. 2. 15, 16. 1 Pe. 1. 22. 

or upper viscera, embracing the heart, 
and the region of the chest generally, 
are in the Scriptures represented as the 
seat of mercy, piety, compassion, be- 
cause when the mind feels compassion 
it is that part which is affected. Comp. 
Notes on Isa. xvi. 11. *f How dwell- 
eth the love of God in him? How 
can a man love God who does not love 
those who bear his image ] See Notes 
on ch. iv. 20. On the general senti- 
ment here, see Notes on James ii. 14 
—16. The meaning is plain, that we 
cannot have evidence of piety unless 
we are ready to do good to others, es- 
pecially to our Christian brethren. See 
Notes on Matt. xxv. 45, and Gal. vi. 
10. 

18. My little children, let us not 
love in word, neither in tongue. By 
mere profession ; by merely saying that 
we love each other. See 1 Pet. i. 22. 
IT But in deed and in truth. In such 
acts as shall show that our professed 
love is sincere and real. Let us do the 
deed of love, whether any thing is said 
about it or not. See Notes on Matt, 
vi. 3. 

19. And hereby. Gr. by this: that 
is, by the fact that we have true love 
to others, and that we manifest it by a 
readiness to make sacrifices to do them 
good. % We krww that we are of the 
truth. That we are not deceived in 
what we profess to be , that is, that we 
are true Christians. To be of the truth 
stands opposed to cherishing false and 
delusive hopes. IT And shall assure 
our hearts before him. Before God, 
or before the Saviour. In the margin, 
as in the Greek, the word rendered 
shall assure, is persuade. The Greek 
word is used as meaning to persuade, 
e. g. to the reception and belief of 
truth ; then, to persuade any one who 



19 And hereby b we know that 
we are of the truth, and shall 1 
assure our hearts before him. 

20 For if our heart condemn 

a Jno. 13. 35. 1 persuade. 

has unkind or prejudiced feelings to- 
wards us, or to bring over to kind 
feelings, to conciliate, and thus to pa- 
cify or quiet. The meaning here seems 
to be, that we shall in this way allay 
the doubts and trouble of our minds, 
and produce a state of quiet and peace, 
to wit, by the evidence that we are of 
the truth. Our consciences are often 
restless and troubled in view of past 
guilt ; but, in thus furnishing the evi- 
dence of true piety by love to others, 
we shall pacify an accusing mind, and 
conciliate our own hearts, and persuade 
or convince ourselves that we are truly 
the children of God. See Rob. Lex. 
sub voce rtsl&a, I. b. In other words, 
though a man's heart may condemn 
him as guilty, and though he knows 
that God sees and condemns the sins 
of his past life, yet the agitations and 
alarms of his mind may be calmed 
down and soothed by evidence that he 
is a child of God, and that he will not 
be finally condemned. A true Chris- 
tian does not attempt to conceal the 
fact that there is much for which his 
own heart and conscience might justly 
accuse him, but he finds, notwithstand- 
ing all this, evidence that he is a child 
of God, and he is persuaded that ali 
will be well. 

20. For if our heart condemn us. 
We cannot hope for peace from any 
expectation that our own hearts will 
never accuse us, or that we ourselves 
can approve of all that we have done. 
The reference here is not so much to 
our past lives, as to our present conduct 
and deportment. The object is to in- 
duce Christians so to live that their 
hearts will not condemn them for 
any secret sins, while the outward de. 
portment may be unsullied. The gen 
eral sentiment is, that if they should 



368 



L JOHN. 



t J. 00, 



us, God is greater than our heart, 
and knoweth all things. 

21 Beloved, if our heart a con- 

a Job 27. 6. Ps. 101. 2. b He. 10. 22. 

so live that their own hearts would 
condemn them for present insincerity 
and hypocrisy, they could have no 
hope of peace, for God knows all that 
is in the heart. In view of the past, 
— when the heart accuses us of what 
we have done — we may find peace by 
such evidences of piety as shall allay 
the troubles of an agitated soul (ver. 9), 
but we cannot have such peace if our 
hearts condemn us for the indulgence 
of secret sins, now that we profess to 
be Christians. If our hearts condemn 
us for present insincerity, and for secret 
sins, we can never « persuade' or soothe 
them by any external act of piety. In 
view of the consciousness of past guilt, 
we may find peace ; we can find none 
if there is a present purpose to indulge 
in sin. IT God is greater than our 
heart, and knoweth all things. We 
cannot hope to find peace by hiding 
any thing from his view, or by any sup- 
position that he is not acquainted with 
the sins for which our consciences trou- 
ble us. He knows all the sins of which 
we are conscious, and sees all their 
guilt and aggravation as clearly as we 
do. He knows more than this. He 
knows all the sins which we have forgot- 
ten ; all those acts which we endeavour 
to persuade ourselves are not sinful, but 
which are evil in his sight ; and all 
those aggravations attending our sins 
which it is impossible for us fully and 
distinctly to conceive. He is more dis- 
posed to condemn sin than we are ; he 
looks on it with less allowance than 
we do. We cannot hope, then, for a 
calm mind in any supposition that God 
does not see our sins as clearly as we 
do, or in any hope that he will look on 
them with more favour and indulgence. 
Peace cannot be found in the indul- 
gence of sin in the hope that God will 
not perceive or regard it ; for we can 



demn us not, then hi r we con- 
fidence * toward God 

22 And whatsoev we ask, 

c Ps. 145. 18, 19. Pr. If Mar. 11. 24. 

sooner deceive ours^ /es than we can 
him; and while, therefore (ver. 19), in 
reference to the past, we can only « per- 
suade' our hearts, or soothe their agi- 
tated feelings by evidence that we are 
of the truth now, and that our sins are 
forgiven ; in reference to the present 
and the future, the heart can be kept 
calm only by such a course of life that 
our own hearts and our God shall ap- 
prove the manner in which we live. 

21. Be loved y if our heart condemn 
us not. If we so live as to have an 
approving conscience ; that is, if we 
indulge in no secret sin ; if we discharge 
faithfully every known duty ; if we 
submit without murmuring to all the 
allotments of divine Providence. IT Then 
have we confidence toward God* Comp. 
Notes on ver. 19 ; ch. i. 28. Acts xxiv. 
16. The apostle evidently does not 
mean that we have confidence towards 
God on the ground of what we do, as 
if it were meritorious, or as if it consti- 
tuted a claim to his favour ; but that 
we may so live as to have evidence of 
personal piety, and that we may look 
forward with a confident hope that we 
shall be accepted of him in the great 
day. The word here rendered confi- 
dence (rtajjfycflav) means properly bold- 
ness ; usually boldness or openness in 
speaking our sentiments. See Notes 
on ch. ii. 28. The confidence or bold- 
ness which we have towards our Maker 
is founded solely on the evidence that 
he will graciously accept us as pardoned 
sinners ; not in the belief that we de- 
serve his favour. 

22. And whatsoever we ash, we re- 
ceive of him. If we are truly his chil- 
dren, and ask in a proper manner. See 
Notes on Matt. vii. 7. Comp. Mark 
xi. 24. Luke xl 9 ; xviii. 1. seq. John 
xiv. 13; xv. 7. 1 John v. 14. The 
declaration here made must be under 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER III. 



369 



we receive of him, because we 
keep his commandments, and do 
those things that are pleasing in 
his sight. 

23 And this a is his command- 
ment, That we should believe 
on the name of his Son Jesus 

a De. 18. 15-19. Jno. 14. 1. 
b Jno. 14. 23 ; 15. 10. c Ro. 8. 9, 14. 



stood with these limitations : (1.) That 
we ask in a proper manner, James iv. 
3 ; and (2.) That the thing asked shall 
bo such as it will be consistent for God 
to give ; that is, such as he shall see to 
be best for us. 1 John v. 14. See 
Notes on this latter passage. % Be- 
cause we keep his commandments. Not 
that this is the meritorious ground of 
our being heard, but that it furnishes 
evidence that we are his children, and 
he hears his children as such. IT And 
do those things that are pleasing in 
his sight. As a parent is disposed to 
bestow favours on obedient, affectionate, 
and dutiful children, so God is on those 
who please him by their obedience and 
submission to his will. We can have 
no hope that he will hear us unless we 
do so live as to please him. 

23. And this it his commandment. 
His commandment by way of eminence ; 
the leading, principal thing which he 
enjoins on us ; the commandment 
which lies at the foundation of all true 
obedience. H That we should believe 
on the name of his Son, Jesus Christ. 
See Notes on Mark xvi. 16. Comp. 
John xvi. 1. Acts xvi. 31. IT And 
love one another. Sec. This follows 
from the other, and hence they are 
mentioned as together constitutimg his 
commandment. Notes, John xiii. 35. 

24. And he that keepeth his com- 
mandments, &c. See Notes on John 
xiv. 23. ^ And hereby we know that 
he abideth in us, That is, this is an- 
other certain evidence that we are true 
Christians. The Saviour had promised 
(John xiv. 23) that he would come 



Christ, and love one another, as 
he gave us commandment. 

24 And he b that keepeth his 
commandments dwelleth in him, 
and he in him. And hereby c we 
know that he abideth in us, by 
the Spirit which he hath given 
us. 



and take up his abode with his people. 
John says that we have proof that he 
does this by the Spirit which he has 
given us. That is, the Holy Spirit is 
imparted to his people to enlighten 
their minds ; to elevate their affections ; 
to sustain them in times of trial ; to 
quicken them in the performance of 
duty ; and to imbue them with the 
temper and spirit of the Lord Jesus. 
When these effects exist, we may be 
certain that the Spirit of God is with 
us ; for these are the 4 fruits of that 
Spirit,' or these are the effects which 
he produces in the lives of men. Comp. 
Notes on Gal. v. 22, 23. On the evi- 
dence of piety here referred to, see 
Notes on Rom. viii. 9, 14, 16. No 
man can be a true Christian in whom 
that Spirit does not constantly dwell, 
or to whom he is not « given.' And 
yet no one can determine that the 
Spirit dwells in him, except by the 
effects produced in his heart and life. 
In the following chapter, the apostle 
pursues the subject suggested here, and 
shows that we should examine our- 
selves closely, to see whether the * Spirit' 
to which we trust as furnishing evi. 
dence of piety, is truly the Spirit of 
God, or is a spirit of delusion. 

CHAPTER IV. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

There are two principal subjects dis^ 
cussed in this chapter: 

I. The method by which we may 
determine that we have the Spirit of 
God. vs. 1 — 6. The apostle had said 
(ch. iii. 24), that it could be determined 



870 



I. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



CHAPTER IV. 

BELOVED, believe a not every 
spirit, but try b the spirits 

a Je. 29. 8. Mat. 24. 4. 

that God dwells in them by the Spirit 
which he has given them ; but as it is 
probable that the teachers of error, the 
persons whom John regarded as < anti- 
christ' (ch. ii. 18, 19), would lay claim 
to the same thing, it was important to 
know how it could be ascertained that 
the Spirit of God had been really given 
to them, or how it could be determined 
that the spirit that was in them was not 
the spirit of antichrist, the very thing 
against which he would guard them. 
In doing this he (1.) Cautions them 
against trusting to every kind of spirit, 
or supposing that every spirit which 
animated even, the professed friends of 
religion was the Spirit of God. ver. 1 ; 
and (2.) He shows them how it might 
be determined that they had really the 
Spirit of God, or what would be the 
effect of the influences of the Spirit on 
the mind. This evidence consisted of 
the following things : (a) They had 
the Spirit of God who confessed that 
Jesus Christ had come in the flesh, ver. 
2 ; (b) they who denied that, had not 
the Spirit of God, and the denial of 
this was the real spirit of antichrist, 
ver. 3 ; (c) they who had the Spirit of 
God had not the spirit of this world, 
vs. 4, 5 ; and (d) they who had the 
Spirit of God would hear those who 
were his apostles, or who were sent by 
him. ver. 6. 

II. The duty, power, and influence 
of love. vs. 7 — 21. This is a favourite 
subject with John, and he here con- 
siders it at length, as a subject that 
was essential in determining the evi- 
dences of piety. The duty and value 
of love are enforced by the following 
considerations : (1.) Love has its 
origin in God, and every one who has 
true love is born of God. vs. 7, 8. (2.) 
God has shown his great love to us by 
having given his Son to die for us, and 



whether they are of God ; be- 
cause c many false prophets are 
gone out into the world. 

b ] Th. 5. 21. Re. 2. 2. c 2 Pe. 2. 1. 

as he has so loved us, we ought also to 
love one another, vs. 9—11. (3.) If 
we love one another, it furnishes the 
best evidence that God dwells in us. 
vs. 12 — 15. (4.) God is love, and if 
we have true love we dwell in him, and 
he dwells in us. ver. 16. (5.) Love 
will furnish us great advantage in the 
day of judgment, by giving us confi- 
dence when we come before him. ver. 

17. (6.) Love will cast out all fear, 
and will make our minds calm in view 
of the events which are to come. ver. 

18. (7.) The very fact that he has 
first manifested his love to us should 
lead us to the exercise of love. ver. 19. 
(8.) A man cannot truly love God and 
yet hate his brother, ver. 20 ; and (9.) 
It is the solemn command of God that 
he who loves God should love his bro- 
ther also. 

1. Beloved, believe not every spirit. 
Do not confide implicitly in every one 
who professes to be under the influence 
of the Holy Spirit. Comp. Matt, xxiv, 
4, 5. The true and the false teachers 
of religion alike claimed to be under 
the influence of the Spirit of God, and 
it was of importance that all such pre- 
tensions should be examined. It was 
not to be admitted, because any one 
claimed to have been sent from God, 
that therefore he was sent. Every such 
claim should be subjected to the proper 
proof before it was conceded. All pre- 
tensions to divine inspiration, or to 
being authorized teachers of religion, 
w r ere to be examined by the proper 
tests, because there were many false 
and delusive teachers who set up such 
claims in the world. IT But try the 
spirits whether they are of God. There 
were those in the early Christian church 
who had the gift of « discerning spirits' 
(see Notes on 1 Cor. xii. 10), but it is 
1 not certain that the apostle refers here 



A.D. 90.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



37) 



2 Hereby know ye the Spirit 
of God : Every a spirit that con- 
es 1 Co. 12. 3. 

to any such supernatural power. It is 
more probable, as he addresses this com- 
mand to Christians in general, that he 
refers to the ability of doing this by a 
comparison of the doctrines which they 
professed to hold with what was re- 
vealed, and by the fruits of their doc- 
trines in their lives. If they taught 
what God had taught in his word, and 
if their lives corresponded with his re- 
quirements, and if their doctrines agreed 
with what had been inculcated by those 
who were admitted to be true apostles 
(ver. 6), they were to receive them as 
what they professed to be. If not, they 
were to reject them, and hold them to 
be impostors. It may be remarked that 
it is just as proper and as important now 
to examine the claims of all who pro- 
fess to be teachers of religion, as it was 
then. In a matter so momentous as 
religion, and where there is so much at 
stake, it is important that all preten- 
sions of this kind should be subjected 
to a rigid examination. No man .should 
be received as a religious teacher with- 
out the clearest evidence that he has 
come in accordance with the will of 
God, nor unless he inculcates the very 
truth which God has revealed. See 
Notes on Isa. viii. 20, and Acts xvii. 11. 
IT Because many false prophets are 
gone out into the world. The word 
prophet is often used in the New Tes- 
tament to denote religious instructors 
or preachers. See Notes on Rom. xii. 6. 
Comp. Notes on 2 Pet. ii. 1. Such 
false teachers evidently abounded in the 
times here referred to. See Notes on 
ch. ii. 18. The meaning is, that many 
had gone out into the world pretending 
to be true teachers of religion, but who 
inculcated most dangerous doctrines, 
and it was their duty to be on their 
guard against them, for they had the 
very spirit of antichrist, ver. 3. 

2. Hereby. Gr. 1 By this that is, 



fesseth that Jesus Christ is come 
in the flesh, is of God : 



by the test which is immediately speci- 
fied. % Know ye the Spirit of God. 
You may discern who are actuated by 
the Spirit of God. 1T Every spirit. 
Every one professing to be under the 
influence of the Spirit of God. The 
apostle uses the word spirit here with 
reference to the person who made the 
claim, on the supposition that every 
one professing to be a religious teacher 
was animated by some spirit or foreign 
influence, good or bad. If the Spirit 
of God influenced them, they would 
confess that Jesus Christ had come in 
the flesh; if some other spirit, the 
spirit of error and deceit, they would 
deny this, ^ That confesseth. That 
is, that makes a proper acknowledg- 
ment of this ; that inculcates this doc- 
trine, and that gives it a due place and 
prominence in his instructions. It can- 
not be supposed, that a mere statement 
of this in words would show that they 
were of God in the sense that they 
were true Christians, but the sense is, 
that if this constituted one of the doc- 
trines which they held and taught, it 
would show that they were advocates 
of truth, and not apostles of error. If 
they did not do this (ver. 3), it would 
be decisive in regard to their character 
and claims. IT That Jesus Christ is 
come in the flesh. Benson and some 
others propose to render this, 4 That 
Jesus, who came in the flesh, is the 
Christ.' But this is liable to serious 
objections. (1.) It is not the obvious 
interpretation; (2.) It is unusual to say 
that < Jesus had come in the flesh/ 
though the expression < the Son of God 
has come in the flesh/ or < God was 
manifested in the flesh/ would be in 
accordance with the usage of the New 
Testament; (3.) This would not, pro- 
bably, meet the real point in the case. 
The 1 thing denied does not appear to 
have been that Jesus was the Messiah, 



372 



I. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90, 



3 And every spirit that confes- 
seth not that Jesus Christ is come 
in the flesh, is not of God : and 
this is that spirit of antichrist, 

for their pretending to be Christian 
teachers at all implied that they ad- 
mitted this ; but that the Son of God 
was really a man, or that he actu- 
ally assumed human nature in perma- 
nent union with the divine. The point 
of the remark made by the apostle is, 
that the acknowledgment was to be 
that Christ assumed human nature ; 
that he was really a man as he appeared 
to be ; or that there was a real incar- 
nation, in opposition to the opinion 
that he came in appearance only, or 
that he merely seemed to be a man, and 
to suffer and die. That this opinion 
was held by many, see the Intro. § 3. 2. 
It is quite probable that the apostle here 
refers to such sentiments as those which 
were held by the Docetae, and that he 
meant to teach that it was indispensa- 
ble to proper evidence that any one 
came from God, that he should main- 
tain that Jesus was truly a man, or 
that there was a real incarnation of the 
Son of God. John always regarded 
this as a very important point, and 
often refers to it. John xix. 34, 35 ; 
xx. 25 — 27. 1 John v. 6. It is as im- 
portant to be held now as it was then, 
for the fact that there was a real incar- 
nation is essential to all just views of 
the atonement. If he was not truly a 
man ; if he did not literally shed his 
blood on the cross, of course all that 
was done was in appearance only, and 
the whole system of redemption as re- 
vealed was merely a splendid illusion. 
There is little danger that this opinion 
will be held now, for those who depart 
from the doctrine laid down in the New 
Testament in regard to the person and 
work of Christ, are more disposed to 
embrace the opinion that he was a 
mere man ; but still it is important that 
the truth that he was truly incarnate 
fchould be held up constantly before the 



whereof ye have heard that it 
should come ; and even now al- 
ready is it in the world. 



mind, for in no other way can we ob 
tain just views of the atonement. IF Is 
of God. This does not necessarily 
mean that every one who confessed 
this was personally a true Christian, 
for it is clear that a doctrine might be 
acknowledged to be true, and yet that 
the heart might not be changed ; nor 
does it mean that the acknowledgment 
of this truth was all which it was es- 
sential to be believed in order that 
one might be recognized as a Chris- 
tian; but it means that it was essential 
that this truth should be admitted by 
every one who truly came from God. 
They who taught this held a truth 
which he had revealed, and which 
was esssential to be held ; and they 
thus showed that they did not belong 
to those to whom the name « anti- 
christ' could be properly given. Still, 
whether they held this doctrine in such 
a sense, and in such connection with 
other doctrines, as to show that they 
were sincere Christians, was quite an- 
other question, for it is plain that a man 
may hold and teach the true doctrines 
of religion, and yet have no evidence 
that he is a child of God. 

3. And evert/ spirit that confesseth 
not, &c. That is, this doctrine is es- 
sential to the Christian system, and he 
who does not hold it cannot be regarded 
either as a Christian, or recognized as 
a Christian teacher. If he was not a 
man, then all that occurred in his life, 
in Gethsemane, and on the cross, was 
in appearance only, and was assumed 
only to delude the senses. There were 
no real sufferings ; there was no shed- 
ding of blood ; there was no death on 
the cross, and, of course, there was no 
atonement. A mere show, an appear- 
ance assumed, a vision, could not make 
atonement for sin ; and a denial, there- 
fore of the doctrine that the Son o» 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



373 



4 Ye are of God, little chil- 
dren, and have overcome a them : 
because greater is he that is in 
you, than he that is in the world. 



God had come in the flesh was in fact 
a denial of the doctrine of expiation for 
sin. The Latin Vulgate here reads qui 
solvit Jesum, < who dissolves or divides 
Jesus;' and Socrates (H. E. vii. 32) 
says that in the old copies of the New 
Testament it is written 6 Tjlzi t?op 'iqaow, 
1 who dissolves or divides Jesus ;' that, 
is, who separates his true nature or 
person, or who supposes that there were 
two Christs, one in appearance, and 
one in reality. This reading was early 
found in some MSS., and is referred to 
by many of the fathers (see Wetstein), 
but it has no real authority, and was 
evidently introduced, perhaps at first 
from a marginal note, to oppose the 
prevailing errors of the times. The 
common reading, « who confesseth not,' 
is found in all the Gr. MSS., in the 
Syriac versions, in the Arabic, and, as 
Liicke says, the other reading is mani- 
festly of Latin origin. The common 
reading in the text is that which is sus- 
tained by authority, and is entirely in 
accordance with the manner of John. 
IT And this is that spirit of antichrist. 
This is one of the things which char- 
acterize antichrist. John here refers 
not to an individual who should be 
known as antichrist, but to a class of 
persons. This does not, however, for- 
bid the idea that there might be some 
one individual, or a succession of per- 
sons in the church, to whom the name 
might be applied by way of eminence. 
See Notes on ch. ii. 18. Comp. Notes 
on 2 Thess. ii. 3, seq. IT Whereof ye 
have heard that it should come. See 
Notes on ch. ii. 18. 

4. Ye are of God. You are of his 
family ; you have embraced his truth, 
and imbibed his spirit. 1T Little chil- 
dren. Notes on ch. ii. 1. IT And have 
overcome them. Have triumphed over 
32 



5 They are of the world : 
therefore speak they of the world, 
and the world heareth them. 

a Ro. 8. 37. b Jno. 3. 31. 



their arts and temptations ; their en- 
deavours to draw you into error and 
sin. The word * them? in this place 
seems to refer to the false prophets or 
teachers who collectively constituted 
antichrist. The meaning is*that they 
had frustrated or thwarted all their 
attempts to turn them away from the 
truth. IT Because greater is he that is 
in you, than he that is in the world. 
God, who dwells in your hearts, and 
by whose strength and grace alone you 
have been enabled to achieve this vic- 
tory, is more mighty than Satan who 
rules in the hearts of the people of this 
world, and whose seductive arts are 
seen in the efforts of these false teach- 
ers. The apostle meant to say that it 
was by no power of their own that 
they achieved this victory, but it was 
to be traced solely to the fact that 
God dwelt among them, and had pre- 
served them by his grace. What 
was true then is true now. He who 
dwells in the hearts of Christians by 
his Spirit, is infinitely more mighty 
than Satan, ' the ruler of the darknes3 
of this world,' and victory, therefore, 
over all his arts and temptations may 
be sure. In his conflicts with sin, 
temptation, and error, the Christian 
should never despair, for his God will 
ensure him the victory. 

5. They are of the world. This was 
one of the marks by which those who 
had the spirit of antichrist might be 
known. They belonged not to the 
church of God, but to the world. They 
had its spirit; they acted on its princi- 
ples; they lived for it. Comp. Notes 
on ch. ii. 15. IT Therefore speak they 
of the world. Comp. Notes on ch. iii. 
31. This may mean either that their 
conversation pertained to the things of 
this wortf, or that they were wholly in- 



374 



I. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



6 We are ot God: he that 
knoweth God, heareth us; he 
that is not of God, heareth not 



fluenced by the love of the world, and 
not by the Spirit of God, in the doc- 
trines which they taught. The general 
sense is, that they had no higher ends 
and aims than they have who are influ- 
enced only by worldly plans and expec- 
tations. *It is not difficult to distinguish, 
even among professed Christians and 
Christian teachers, those who are hea- 
venly in their conversation from those 
who are influenced solely by the spirit 
of the world. " Out of the abundance 
of the heart the mouth speaketh,' 7 and 
the general turn of a man's conversa- 
tion will show what 4 spirit is within 
him.' *j[ And the world heareth them. 
The people of the world — the gay, the 
rich, the proud, the ambitious, the sen- 
sual, receive their instructions, and re- 
cognize them as teachers and guides, 
for their views accord with their own- 
See Notes on John xv. 19. A profess- 
edly religious teacher may always de- 
termine much about himself by know- 
ing what class of people are pleased 
with him. A professed Christian of 
any station in life may determine much 
about his evidences of piety, by asking 
himself what kind of persons desire his 
friendship, and wish him for a com- 
panion. 

6. We are of God, John here doubt- 
less refers to himself, and to those who 
taught the same doctrines which he did. 
He takes it for granted that those to 
whom he wrote would admit this, and 
argues from it as an indisputable truth. 
He had given them such evidence of 
this, as to establish his character and 
claims beyond a doubt, and he often 
refers to the fact that he was what he 
claimed to be, as a point which was so 
well established that no one would call 
it in question. See John xix. 35 ; xxi. 
24. 3 John 12. Paul, also, not unfre- 
quently refers to the same thing re- 



US. Hereby a know we the 
spirit of truth, and the spirit of 
error. 

a Is. 8. 20. 

specting himself; to the fact — a fact 
which no one would presume to call in 
question, and which might be regarded 
as the basis of an argument — that he 
and his fellow apostles were what they 
claimed to be. See 1 Cor. xv. 14, 15 
1 Thess. ii. 1 — 11. Might not, and 
ought not, all Christians, and all Chris- 
tian ministers, so to live that the same 
thing might be assumed in regard to 
them in their intercourse with their fel- 
low-men ; that their characters for in- 
tegrity and purity might be so clear that 
no one would be disposed to call them in 
question ? There are such men in the 
church and in the ministry now ; why 
might not all be such 1 IT He that 
knoweth God, heareth us. Every one 
that has a true acquaintance with the 
character of God will receive our doc- 
trine. John might assume this, for it 
was not doubted, he presumed, that he 
was an apostle, and a good man ; and 
if this were admitted, it would follow 
that those who feared and loved God 
would receive what he taught. IT Here- 
by. By this ; to wit, by the manner 
in which they receive the doctrines 
which we have taught. IT Know we 
the spirit of truth, and the spirit of 
error. We can distinguish those who 
embrace the truth from those who do 
not. Whatever pretensions they might 
set up for piety, it was clear that if 
they did not embrace the doctrines 
taught by the true apostles of God, they 
could not be regarded as his friends ; 
that is, as true Christians. It may be 
added that the same test is applicable 
now. They who do not receive the 
plain doctrines laid down in the word 
of God, whatever pretensions they may 
make to piety, or whatever zeal they 
may evince in the cause which they 
have espoused, can have no well? 
founded claims to the name Christian* 



D. 90.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



375 



7 Beloved, let us love a one 
another : for love is of God ; and 
every one that loveth, is born of 
God, and knoweth God. 



One of the clearest evidences of true 
piety is a readiness to receive all that 
God has taught. Comp. Matt, xviii. 1 
—3. Mark x. 15. James i. 19—21. 

Beloved, let us love one another. 
This verse introduces a new topic, the 
consideration of which occupies the 
remainder of the chapter. See the 
Analysis. The subject is one on which 
John dwells more than on any other — 
that of love. His own character pecu- 
liarly inclined him to the exercise of love, 
and the remarkable affection which 
the Lord Jesus had shown for him 
seems to have had the effect to give 
this grace a peculiar prominence in his 
views of what constituted true religion. 
Comp. John xiii. 23. On the duty 
here enjoined, see Notes on John xiii. 
34, 35, and 1 John iii. 11,23. IT For 
love is of God. (1.) All true love has 
its origin in God. (2.) Real love shows 
that we have his spirit, and that we 
belong to him. (3.) It assimilates us 
to God, or makes us more and more 
like him. What is here said by the 
apostle is based on the truth of what 
he elsewhere affirms (ver. 8), that God 
is love. Hatred, envy, wrath, malice, 
all have their source in something else 
than God. He neither originates them, 
commends them, nor approves them. 
^ And every one that loveth, is born 
of God. Is a regenerated man. That 
is, every one who has true love to 
Christians as such, or true brotherly 
love, is a true Christian. This cannot 
mean that every one that loves his wife 
and children, his classmate, his partner 
in business, or his friend ; his house, 
or his farms, or his horses, or his 
hounds, is a child of God ; it must be 
understood as referring to the point 
under discussion. A man may have a 
great deal of natural affection towards 



8 He that loveth not, know- 
eth not God ; for God b is 
love. 

a c. 3. 11, 23. b 2 Co. 13. 11. ver. 16. 



his kindred; a great deal of benevo- 
lence in his character towards the poor 
and needy, and still he may have none 
of the love to which John refers. He 
may have no real love to God, to the 
Saviour, or to the children of God as 
such, and it would be absurd for 
such a one to argue because he loves 
his wife and children, that, therefore. 
he loves God, or is born again. 

8. He that loveth not, knoweth not 
God. Has no true acquaintance with 
God ; has no just views of him, and no 
right feelings towards him. The reason 
for this is implied in what is immedi- 
ately stated, that 1 God is love,' and of 
course if they have no love reigning in 
their hearts they cannot pretend to be 
like him. IT For God is love. He is 
not merely benevolent, he is benevolence 
itself. Comp. Notes on 2 Cor. xiii. 11. 
Never was a more important declara- 
tion made than this ; never was more 
meaning crowded into a few words than 
in this short sentence — God is love. 
In the darkness of this world of sin ; 
in all the sorrows that come now upon 
the race, and that will come upon the 
wicked hereafter, we have the assur- 
ance that a God of infinite benevolence 
rules over all ; and though we may not 
be able to reconcile all that occurs with 
this declaration, or see how the things 
which he has permitted to take place 
are consistent with it, yet in the exer- 
cise of faith on his own declarations 
we may find consolation in believing 
that it is so, and may look forward to a 
period when all his universe shall see 
it to be so. In the midst of all that 
occurs on the earth of sadness, sin, and 
sorrow, there are abundant evidences 
that God is love. In the original struc- 
ture of things before sin entered, when 
all was pronounced i good in the 



876 

9 In this a was manifested the 
love of God toward us, because 
that God sent his only-begotten 
Son into the world, that b we 
might live through him. 

a Jno. 3. 16. h Jno. 6. 51. 

things designed to promote happiness, 
where the only thing contemplated is 
happiness, and where it would have 
been as easy to have caused pain ; in 
the preservation of a guilty race, and 
in granting that race the opportunity 
of another trial ; in the ceaseless pro- 
vision which God is making in his pro- 
vidence for the wants of unnumbered 
millions of his creatures; in the ar- 
rangements made to alleviate sorrow, 
and to put an end to it ; in the gift of 
a Saviour more than all, and in the 
offer of eternal life on terms simple and 
easy to be complied with — in all these 
things, which are the mere expressions 
of love, not one of which would have 
been found under the government of a 
malignant being, we see illustrations 
of the sublime and glorious sentiment 
before us, that * God is love.' Even in 
this world of confusion, disorder, and 
darkness, we have evidence sufficient to 
prove that he is benevolent, but the full 
glory and meaning of that truth will be 
seen only in heaven. Meantime let us 
hold on to the truth that he is love. 
Let us believe that he sincerely desires 
our good, and that what seems dark to 
us may be designed for our welfare ; 
and amidst all the sorrows and disap- 
pointments of the present life, let us 
feel that our interests and our destiny 
are in the hands of the God of love. 

9. In this was manifested the love 
of God. That is, in an eminent man- 
ner, or this was a most signal proof of 
it. The apostle does not mean to say 
that it has been manifested in no other 
way, but that this was so prominent an 
instance of his love that all the other 
manifestations of it seemed absorbed 
and lost in this. IT Because that God 
sent his only-begotten Son, &c. See 



[A. D. 90 

10 Herein is love, not that we 
loved God, but that he loved us, 
and sent his Son to be the propi- 
tiation c for our sins. 

11 Beloved, if d God so loved 

c c. 2. 2. d Mat. 18. 33. Jno 15. 12, 13. 

Notes on John iii. 16. % That we 
might live through him. He died that 
we might have eternal life through the 
merits of his sacrifice. The measure 
of that love then which was manifested 
in the gift of a Saviour is to be found 
(1.) In the worth of the soul ; (2.) In 
its exposure to eternal death ; (3.) In 
the greatness of the gift; (4.) In the 
greatness of his sorrows for us ; and 
(5.) In the immortal blessedness and 
joy to which he will raise us. Who 
can estimate all this 1 All these things 
will magnify themselves as we draw 
near to eternity ; and in that eternity 
to which we go, whether saved or lost, 
we shall have an ever-expanding view 
of the wonderful love of God. 

10. Herein is love. In this great 
gift is the highest expression of love, as 
if it had done all that it can do. IT Not 
that we loved God. Not that we were 
in such a state that we might suppose 
he would make such a sacrifice for us, 
but just the opposite. If we had loved 
and obeyed him, we might have had 
reason to believe that he would be will- 
ing to show his love to us in a corre- 
sponding manner. But we were alien- 
ated from him. We had even no desire 
for his friendship and favour. In this 
state he showed the greatness of his 
love for us by giving his Son to die for 
his enemies. See Notes on Rom. v. 7, 
8. IT But that he loved us. Not that 
he approved our character, but that he 
desired our welfare. He loved us not 
with the love of complacency, but with 
the love of benevolence. «f And sent 
his Son to be the propitiation for our 
sins. On the meaning of the word 
propitiation, see Notes on Rom. iii. 25* 
Comp. Notes on 1 John ii. 2. 

1 1. Beloved, if God so loved us, zvs 



I JOHN. 



A.D 90.] 



CHAPTER IV. 



37? 



us, we ought also to love one an- 1 13 Hereby c know we that we 
other. I dwell in him, and he in us, be- 

12 No a man hath seen God cause he hath given us of his 
at any time. If we love one an- Spirit. 

other, God dwelleth in us, and a % Ti 6 1( . b 1 Co 13 - 

his love is perfected b in us. c Jno. u. 20. c. 3. 24. 



ought also to love one another, (1.) 
Because he is so much exalted above 
us, and if he has loved those who were 
so inferior and so unworthy, we ought 
to love those who are on a level with 
us ; (2.) Because it is only in this way 
that we can show that we have his 
spirit ; and (3.) Because it is the nature 
of love to- seek the happiness of all. 
There are much stronger reasons why 
we should love one another than there 
were why God should love us, and un- 
less we do this, we can have no evidence 
that we are his children. 

12. No man hath seen God at any 
time. See Notes on John i. 18, where 
the same declaration occurs. The 
statement seems to be made here in 
order to introduce a remark to show in 
what way we may know that we have 
any true knowledge of God. The idea 
is, « he has never indeed been seen by 
mortal eyes. We are not then to ex- 
pect to become acquainted with what 
he is in that way. But there is a me- 
thod by which we may be assured that 
we have a true knowledge of him, and 
that is, by evidence that we love one 
another, and by the presence of his 
spirit in our hearts. We cannot be- 
come acquainted with him by sight, 
but we may by love.' IT If we love one 
another, God dwelleth in us. Though 
we cannot see him, yet there is a way 
by which we may be assured that he is 
near us, and that he even dwells in us. 
That way is by the exercise of love. 
Comp. Notes on John xiv. 23, 24. 
IT And his love is perfected in us. Is 
carried out to completion. That is, our 
love for each other is the proper expo- 
nent of love to him reigning in our 
hearts. The idea here is not that we 
32* 



are absolutely perfect, or even that our 
love is perfect, whatever may be true 
on those points, but that this love to 
others is the proper carrying out of our 
love towards him; that is, without this 
our love to him would not have accom- 
plished what it was adapted and de- 
signed to do. Unless it produced this 
effect it would be defective or incom- 
plete. Comp. verse 17. The general 
sense is this : « We claim to have the 
love of God in our hearts, or that we 
are influenced and controlled by love. 
But however high and exalted that may 
seem to be as exercised toward God, it 
would be defective; it would not exert 
a fair influence over us, unless it led us 
to love our Christian brethren. It 
would be like the love which we might 
profess to have for a father, if it did not 
lead us to love our brothers and sisters. 
True love will diffuse itself over all 
who come within its range, and will 
thus become complete and entire/ 
This passage, therefore, cannot be ad- 
duced to demonstrate the doctrine of 
sinless perfection, or to prove that 
Christians are ever absolutely perfect 
in this life. It proves only that love to 
God is not complete, or fully developed, 
unless it leads those who profess to 
have it to love each other. See Notes 
on Job i. 1. On the meaning of the 
Greek word here used (tfstaMxo), see 
Notes on Phil. iii. 12. Comp. Notes 
on Heb. ii. 10. 

13. Hereby know we that we dwell 
in him. Here is another, or an addi- 
tional evidence cf it. IT Because he 
hath given us of his Spirit. He has 
imparted the influences of that Spirit 
to our souls, producing < love, joy, peace 
long-suffedng, gentleness, goodness 



378 



I. jOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



14 And we have seen, and do 
testify, that the Father sent the 
Son to be the Saviour of the 
world. 

15 Whosoever a shall confess 
that Jesus is the Son of God, 

a Ro. 10. 9. b ver. 8. 

faith,' &c. Gal. v. 22, 23. It was one 
of the promises which the Lord Jesus 
made to his disciples that he would 
send the Holy Spirit to be with them 
after he should be withdrawn from them 
(John xiv. 16, 17, 28; xv. 26; xvi. 
7), and one of the clearest evidences 
which we can have that we are the 
children of God is derived from the in- 
fluences of that Spirit on our hearts. 
See this sentiment illustrated in the 
Notes on Rom. viii. 16. 

14. And we have seen. Notes on 
ch. i. 1. IT And do testify. Notes on 
ch. i. 3. That is, we who are apostles 
bear witness to you of this great truth, 
that God has sent his Son to be a Sa- 
viour. Comp. Notes on John xx. 31. 
The reason why this is referred to here 
is not quite apparent, but the train of 
thought in this passage would seem to 
be this: the writer is discoursing of the 
love of God, and of its manifestation 
in the gift of the Saviour, and of the 
proper influence which it should have 
on us. "Struck with the greatness and 
importance of the subject, his mind ad- 
verts to the evidence on which what 
he was saying rested — the evidence 
that the Father had really thus mani- 
fested his love. That evidence he 
repeats, that he had actually seen 
him who had been sent, and had 
the clearest demonstration that what 
he deemed so important had really oc- 
curred. 

15. Whosoever shall confess that 
Jesus is the Son of God. In the true 
sense, and from the heart. This will 
always prove that a man is a Chris- 
tian. But the passage cannot mean 
that if he merely savs so in words, or 



God dwelleth in him, and he in 
God. 

16 And we have known and 
believed the love that God hath 
to us. God b is love ; and he 
that dwelleth in love dwelleth in 
God, and God in him. 

if he does it insincerely, or without any 
proper sense of the truth, it will prove 
that he is a Christian. On the mean- 
ing of the sentiment here expressed, 
see Notes on ver. 2. Comp. Notes on 
Rom. x. 10. 

1 6. And we have known and believed, 
&c. We all have assurance that God 
has loved us, and the fullest belief in 
the great fact of redemption by which 
he has manifested his love to us. 
*» God is love. Notes on ver. 8. It is 
not uncommon for John to repeat an 
important truth. He delights to dwell 
on such a truth as that which is here 
expressed ; and who should not? What 
truth is there on which the mind can 
dwell with more pleasure ; what is there 
that is better fitted to win the heart to 
holiness; what that will do more to 
sustain the soul in the sorrows and 
trials of this life 1 In our trials ; in 
the darkness which is around us ; in 
the perplexities which* meet and em- 
barrass us in regard to the divine ad- 
ministration ; in all that seems to us 
incomprehensible in this world, and in 
the prospect of the next, let us learn to 
repeat this declaration of the favoured 
disciple, « God is love.' What trials 
may we not bear, if we feel assured of 
that; what dark cloud that seems to 
hang over our way, and to involve all 
things in gloom, will not be bright, if 
from the depths of our souls we can 
always say, < God is love.' IT And he 
that dwelleth in love, Sec. Religion is 
all love. God is love; he has loved 
us ; we are to love him ; we are to 
love one another ; we are to love the 
whole world. Heaven is filled with 
love, and there is nothing else there 



A. D. 90.] 

17 Herein is 1 our love made 
perfect, that we may have bold- 
ness in the day of judgment : 
because as he is, so are we in 
this world. 

i love with us. 

The earth is filled with love j ust as far as 
religion prevails, and would be entirely 
if it should prevail everywhere. Love 
would remove all the corrupt passions, 
the crimes, the jealousies, the wars on 
the earth, and would diffuse around the 
globe the bliss of heaven. If a man, 
therefore, is actuated by this, he has the 
spirit of the heavenly world reigning 
in his soul, and lives in an atmosphere 
of love. 

17. Herein is our love made perfect. 
Marg., love with us. The margin ac- 
cords with the Greek (^s^' qiicov)' The 
meaning is, « the love that is within us, 
or in us, is made perfect.' The ex- 
pression is unusual, but the general 
idea is, that love is rendered complete 
or entire in the manner in which the 
apostle specifies. In this way love be- 
comes what it should be, and will pre- 
pare us to appear with confidence be- 
fore the judgment-seat. Comp. Notes 
on ver. 12. IT That we may have 
boldness in the day of judgment. By 
the influence of love in delivering us 
from the fear of the wrath to come, 
ver. 18. The idea is, that he who has 
true love to God will have nothing to 
fear in the day of judgment, and may 
even approach the awful tribunal where 
he is to receive the sentence which 
shall determine his everlasting destiny, 
without alarm. IT Because as he is, so 
are we in this world. That is, we 
have the same traits of character which 
the Saviour had, and, resembling him, 
we need not be alarmed at the prospect 
of meeting him. 

18. There is no fear in love. Love 
is not an affection which produces fear. 
In Ihe love which we have for a parent, 
a child, a friend, there is no fear. If 
a man had perfect love to God he would 



379 

18 There is no fear in love: 
but perfect love castethout fear; 
because fear hath torment. He 
that feareth, is not made perfect 
in love. 



have no fear of any thing, for what 
would he have to dread 1 He would 
have no fear of death, for he would 
have nothing to dread beyond the grave. 
It is guilt that makes men fear what is 
to come 5 but he whose sins are par- 
doned, and whose heart is filled with 
the love of God, has nothing to dread 
in this world or the world to come. 
The angels in heaven, who have always 
loved God"' and one another, have no 
fear, for they have nothing to dread in 
the future ; the redeemed in heaven, 
rescued from all danger, and filled with 
the love of God, have nothing to dread ; 
and as far as that same love operates 
on earth, it delivers the soul now from 
all apprehension of what is to come, 
V But perfect love casteth out fear. 
That is, love that is complete, or that 
is allowed to exert its proper influence 
on the soul. As far as it exists, its 
tendency is to deliver the mind from 
alarms. If it should exist in any soul 
in an absolutely perfect state, that soul 
would be entirely free from all dread in 
regard to the future. IT Because fear 
hath torment. It is a painful and dis- 
tressing emotion. Thus men suffer 
from the fear of poverty, of losses, of 
bereavement, of sickness, of death, and 
of future wo. From all these distress- 
ing apprehensions, that love of God 
which furnishes an evidence of true 
piety, delivers us. IT He that feareth, 
is not made perfect in love. He, about 
whose mind there lingers the appre- 
hension of future wrath, shows that love 
in his soul has not accomplished its 
full work. Perhaps it never will on 
any soul until we reach the heavenly 
world, though there are many minds 
so full of love to God, as to be prevail 
ingly delivered from fear. 



CHAPTER IV. 



S80 



L JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



19 We love him, because he 
first loved us. 

20 If a man say, I love God, 
ind hateth his brother, he is a 

a Jno. 15. 16. 

19. We love him, because he first 
foved us. This passage is susceptible 
of two explanations, either (1.) That 
the fact that he first loved us is the 
ground or reason why we love him ; 
or (2.) That as a matter of fact we 
have been brought to love him in con- 
sequence of the love which he has ma- 
nifested towards us, though the real 
ground of our love may be the excel- 
lency of his own character. If the 
former be the meaning, and if that 
were the only ground of love, then it 
would be mere selfishness (comp. Matt, 
v. 46, 47), and it cannot be believed 
that John meant to teach that that is 
the only reason of our love to God. It 
is true, indeed, that that is a proper 
ground of love, or that we are bound 
to love God in proportion to the bene- 
fits which we have received from his 
hand. But still, genuine love to God 
is something which cannot be explained 
by the mere fact that we have received 
favours from him. The true, the ori- 
ginal ground of love to God, is the ex- 
cellence of his own character, apart 
from the question whether we are to be 
benefited or not. There is that in the 
divine nature which a holy being will 
love, apart from the benefits which 
he is to receive, and from any thought 
even of his own destiny. It seems to 
me, therefore, that John must have 
meant here, in accordance with the 
second interpretation suggested above, 
that the fact that we love God is to be 
traced to the means which he has used 
to bring us to himself, but without say- 
ing that this is the sole, or even the 
main reason why we love him. It was 
his love manifested to us by sending 
his Son to redeem us, which will ex- 
plain the fact that we now love him ; 
bat still, the real ground or reason why 



liar : for he that loveth not his 
brother whom he hath seen, how 
b can he love God whom he hath 
not seen. 

b c. 3. 17. 

we love him is the infinite excellence 
of his own character. It should be 
added here, that many suppose that the 
Greek words rendered « we love' (fust's 
ayartQusv) are not in the indicative, 
but in the subjunctive; and that this is 
an exhortation — « let us love him, be- 
cause he first loved us.' So the Syriac, 
the Arabic, and the Vulgate read it ; 
and so it is understood by Benson. 
Grotius, and Bloomfield. The main 
idea would not be essentially different ; 
and it is a proper ground of exhortation 
to love God because he has loved us, 
though the highest ground is, because 
his character is infinitely worthy of 
love. 

20. If a man say, I love God, and 
hateth his brother. His Christian bro- 
ther ; or, in a larger sense, any man. 
The sense is, that no man, whatever 
may be his professions and pretensions, 
can have any true love to God, unless 
he love his brethren. *X He is a liar. 
Comp. Notes, ch. i. 6. It is not ne- 
cessary, in order to a proper interpre- 
tation of this passage, to suppose that 
he intentionally deceives. The sense 
is, that this must be a false profession. 
IT For he that loveth not his brother 
whom he hath seen, &c. It is more 
reasonable to expect that we should 
love one whom we have seen and 
known personally, than that we should 
love one whom we have not seen. The 
apostle is arguing from human nature 
as it is, and every one feels that we are 
more likely to love one with whom we 
are familiar than one who is a stranger. 
If a professed Christian, therefore, does 
not love one who bears the divine 
image, whom he sees and knows, how 
can he love that God whose image he 
bears, whom he has not seen 7 Comp 
Notes on ch. iii. 17. 



fu D. 90. j CHAPTER V. 3S1 

21 And this commandment CHAPTER V. 

have we from him, That he who TI7HOSOEVER b believeth 
lov^th God love his brother also. V V that Jesus is the Christ, is 

a Jno. 13. 34. & Jno. 1. 12, 13. 



21 And this commandment have we 
frcJt lim. That is, the command to 
love d brother is as obligatory as that 
to Io7o God. If one is obeyed, the 
other ought to be also ; if a man feels 
that one is binding on him, he should 
feel that the other is also ; and he can 
never have evidence that he is a true 
Christian, unless he manifests love to 
his brethren as well as love to God. 
See Notes on James ii. 10. 1 That 
he who loveth God love his brother 
also. See Notes on John xiii. 34, 35. 
Comp. John xv. 12, 17. 

CHAPTER V. 

ANALYSIS OF THE CHAPTER. 

This chapter embraces the following 
subjects : I. A continuance of the dis- 
cussion about love. vs. 1 — 3. These 
verses should have been attached to the 
previous chapter. II. The victory which 
is achieved over the world by those 
who are born of God. The grand in- 
strumentality by which this is done, is 
by the belief that Jesus is the Son of 
God. vs. 4, 5. III. The evidence that 
Jesus is the Son of God ; or the means 
by which that truth is so believed as to 
secure a victory over the world, vs. 6 
— 12. In this part of the chapter the 
apostle goes fully into the nature of 
this evidence, or the ways in which the 
Christian becomes so thoroughly con- 
vinced of it as to give to faith this 
power. He refers to these sources of 
evidence : (a) The witness of the Spi- 
rit, ver. 6. (6) The record borne in 
heaven (ver. 7) — if that verse be genu- 
ine, (c) The evidence borne on earth, 
by the Spirit, the water, and the blood 
— all bearing witness to that one truth. 
(<?) The credit which is due to the tes- 
timony of God, or which the soul pays 
to it. ver. 8. (e) The fact that he who 
believes on the Son of God has the 



witness in himtelf. ver. 10. (/) The 
amount of the record, that God has 
given to us eternal life through his Son. 
vs. 11, 12. IV. The reason why all 
this was written by the apostle, ver. 13. 
It was that they might know that they 
had eternal life, and might believe on 
the name of the Saviour. V. The effect 
of this in leading us to the throne of 
grace, with the assurance that- God will 
hear us, and will grant our requests, 
vs. 14, 15. VI. The power of prayer, 
and the duty of praying for those who 
have sinned. The encouragement to 
this is, that there are many sins which 
are not unto death, and that we may 
hope that God will be merciful to those 
who have not committed the unpardon- 
able offence, vs. 16, 17. VII. A sum- 
mary of all that the apostle had said 
to them, or of the points of which they 
were sure in the matter of salvation, 
vs. 18 — 20. They knew that those 
who are born of God do not sin ; that 
the wicked one cannot permanently 
injure them ; that they were of God, 
while all the world lay in wickedness ; 
that the Son of God had come, and 
that they were truly united to that Sa- 
viour who is the true God, and who is 
eternal life. VIII. An exhortation to 
keep themselves from all idolatry, ver. 
21. 

1. Whosoever believeth that Jesus is 
the Christ. Is the ?rlessiah ; the anoint- 
ed of God. On the meaning of the 
word Christ, see Notes on Matt. i. 1. 
Of course, it is meant here that the 
proposition that < Jesus is the Christ,' 
should be believed or received in the 
true and proper sense, in order to fur- 
nish evidence that any one is born of 
God. Comp. Notes on ch. iv. 3. It 
cannot be supposed that a mere intel- 
lectual acknowledgment of the proposi- 
tion that Jesus is the Messiah, is all 



382 



1. JOHN. 



[A. D 90 



born of God : and every one that 
loveth him that begat, loveth him 
also that is begotten of him. 
2 By this we know that we 

that is meant, for that is^iot the proper 
meaning of the word believe in the 
Scriptures. That word, in its just sense, 
implies that the truth which is believed 
should make its fair and legitimate im- 
pression on the mind, or that we should 
feel and act as if it were true. See 
Notes on Mark xvi. 16. If, in the 
proper sense of the phrase, a man does 
believe that Jesus is the Christ, receiv- 
ing him as he is revealed as the anointed 
of God, and a Saviour, it is undoubtedly 
true that that constitutes him a Chris- 
tian, for that is what is required of a 
man in order that he may be saved. See 
Notes on Acts viii. 37. IT Is born of 
God. Or rather, « is begotten of God.' 
See Notes on John iii. 3. IT And every 
one that loveth him that begat. That 
loves that God who has thus begotten 
those whom he has received as his chil- 
dren, and to whom he sustains the en- 
dearing relation of Father. Tf Loveth 
him also that is begotten of him. That 
is, he will love all the true children of 
God ; all Christians. See Notes on 
ch. iv. 20. The general idea is, that 
as all Christians are the children of the 
same Father ; as they constitute one 
family ; as they all bear the same im- 
age ; as they share his favour alike ; 
as they are under the same obligation 
of gratitude to him, and are bound to 
promote the same common cause, and 
are to dwell together in the same home 
for ever, they should therefore love 
one another. As all the children in a 
family love their common father, so it 
should be in the great family of which 
God is the Head. 

2. By this we know that we love the 
children of God, &c. This is repeating 
the same truth in another form. * As it 
is universally true that if we love him 
who has begotten us, we shall also love 
his children, or our Christian brethren, 



love the children of God, when 
we love God, and keep his com- 
mandments. 

3 For this is the love of God, 

so it is true also that if we love his 
children it will follow that we love him.' 
In other places, the apostle says that 
we may know that we Jove God if we 
love those who bear his image, ch. iii. 
14. He here says, that there is another 
way of determining what we are. We 
may have undoubted evidence that we 
love God, and from that, as the basis of 
an argument, we may infer that we 
have true love to his children. Of the 
fact that we may have evidence that 
we love God, apart from that which we 
derive from our love to his children, 
there can be no doubt. We may be 
conscious of it ; we may find pleasure 
in meditating on his perfections; we 
may feel sure that we are moved to 
obey him by true attachment to him, 
as a child may in reference to a father. 
But, it may be asked, how can it be in- 
ferred from this that we truly love his 
children 1 Is it not more easy to ascer- 
tain this of itself than it is to determine 
whether we love God] Comp. ch. iv. 
20. To this it may be answered, that 
we may love Christians from many 
motives : we may love them as personal 
friends ; we may love them because 
they belong to our church, or sect, ox 
party ; we may love them because they 
are naturally amiable ; but the apostle 
says here that when we are conscious 
that an attachment does exist towards 
Christians, we may ascertain that it is 
genuine, or that it does not proceed 
from any improper motive, by the fact 
that we love God. We shall then love 
them as his children, whatever other 
grounds of affection there may be to- 
wards them. IT And keep his com- 
mandments. See Notes on John xiv. 
15. 

3. For this is the love of God, that 
we keep his commandments. This 
constitutes true love ; this furnishes the 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER V. 



383 



that a we keep his command- 
ments : and his commandments 
are not h grievous. 

4 For whatsoever is born of 
God overcometh c the world : 

a Jno. 14. 15, 21. b Ps. 119. 45. Mat. 11, 30. 

evidence of it. IT And his command- 
ments are not grievous. Gr., heavy 
(|3cif£cat), that is, difficult to be borne 
as a burden. See Matt. xi. 30. The 
meaning is, that his laws are not un- 
reasonable ; the duties which he re- 
quires are not beyond our ability ; his 
government is not oppressive. It is 
easy to obey God when the heart is 
right; and those who endeavour in 
sincerity to keep his commandments do 
not complain that they are hard. All 
complaints of this kind come from 
those who are not disposed to keep his 
commandments. They, indeed, object 
that his laws are unreasonable ; that 
they impose improper restraints ; that 
they are not easily complied with ; and 
that the divine government is one of 
severity and injustice. But no such 
complaints come from true Christians. 
They find his service easier than the 
service of sin, and the laws of God 
more mild ana* easy to be complied 
with than were those of fashion and 
honour, which they once endeavoured 
to obey. The service of God is free- 
dom ; the service of the world is bond- 
age. No man ever yet heard a true 
Christian say that the laws of God, re- 
quiring him to lead a holy life, were 
stern and * grievous,' But who has not 
felt this in regard to the inexorable 
laws of sin 1 What votary of the world 
would not say this if he spoke his real 
sentiments'? Comp. Notes on John 
viii. 32. 

4.' For whatsoever is born of God 
overcometh the world. The world, in 
its maxims, and precepts, and customs, 
does not rule him, but he is a freeman. 
The idea is, that there is a conflict be- 
tween religion and the world, and that 
in the heart of every true Christian, re- 



and this is the victory that over- 
cometh the world, even our faith. 

5 Who is he that overcometh 
the world, but he that believeth 
that Jesus is the Son of God? 

c 1 Co. 15. 57. 

ligion secures the victory, or triumphs. 
In John xvi. 33, the Saviour says, ' Be 
of good cheer; I have overcome the 
world.' See Notes on that verse. He 
obtained a complete triumph over him 
< who rules the darkness of the world,' 
and laid the foundation for a victory by 
his people over all vice, error, and sin 
John makes this affirmation of all who 
are born of God. 6 Whatsoever,' or, as 
the Greek is, < Every thing which is 
begotten of God' (jiojv 'to ysysvyj^ivov) ; 
meaning to affirm undoubtedly that in 
every instance where one is truly re- 
generated, there is this victory over the 
world. See Notes on James iv. 4. 1 
John ii. 15, 18. It is one of the settled 
maxims of religion that every man who 
is a true Christian gains a victory ovei 
the world ; and consequently a maxhr 
as settled that where the spirit of the 
'world reigns supremely in the heart 
there is no true religion. But, if this 
be a true principle, how many pro- 
fessed Christians are there who are 
strangers to all claims of piety, for how 
many are there who are wholly go 
verned by the spirit of this world ! 
IT And this is the victory. This is the 
source or means of the victory which 
is thus achieved. IT Even our faith. 
Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, ver. 5. 
He overcame the world (John xvi. 33), 
and it is by that faith which makes us 
one with him, and that imbues us with 
his spirit, that we are able to do it also. 

5. Who is he, &c. Where is there 
one who can pretend to have obtained 
a victory over the world except he who 
believes in the Saviour 1 All else are 
worldly, and are governed by worldly 
aims and principles. It is true, that a 
man may gain a victory over one 
worldly passion ; he may subdue some 



884 



I. JOHN, 



[A.D.90. 



6 This is he that came a by 

a Jno. 19. 34. 

one evil propensity ; he may abandon 
the gay circle, may break away from 
habits of profaneness, may leave the 
company of the unprincipled and pol- 
luted, but still, unless he has faith in 
the Son of God, the spirit of the world 
will reign supreme in his soul in some 
form. The appeal which John so con- 
fidently made in his time, may be as 
confidently made now. We may ask, 
as he did, where is there one who 
shows that he has obtained a complete 
victory over the world except the true 
Christian 1 Where is there one whose 
end and aim is not the present life 1 
Where is there one who shows that all 
his purposes in regard to this world are 
made subordinate to the world to come 1 
There are those now, as there were 
then, who break away from one form 
of sin, and from one circle of sinful 
companions ; there are those who 
change the ardent passions of youth 
for the soberness of middle or advanced 
life ; there are those who see the folly 
of profaneness, and of gayety, and in- 
temperance; there are those who are 
disappointed in some scheme of ambi- 
tion, and who withdraw from political 
conflicts ; there are those who are sa- 
tiated with pageantry, and who, op- 
pressed with the cares of state, as Dio- 
cletian and Charles V. were, retire from 
public life ; and there are those whose 
hearts are crushed and broken by losses, 
and by the death, or what is worse than 
death, by the ingratitude of their chil- 
dren, and who cease to cherish the fond 
hope that their family will be honoured, 
and their name perpetuated in those 
whom they tenderly loved, but s' ; ll 
there is no victory over the world. 
Their deep dejection, their sadness, 
their brokenness of spirit, their lamen- 
tations, and their want of cheerfulness, 
all show that the spirit of the world 
still reigns in their hearts. If the cala- 
mities which have come upon them 



water and blood, even Jesus 
Christ ; not by water only, but 

could be withdrawn ; if the days of 
prosperity could be restored, they would 
show as much of the spirit of the world 
as ever they did, and would pursue its 
follies and its vanities as greedily as 
they had done before. Not many yean 
or months elapse before the world 1} 
mother who has followed one daughte? 
to the grave, will introduce anothei 
into the gay world with all the bril- 
liancy which fashion prescribes; not 
long will a worldly father mourn over 
the death of a son before, in the whirl 
of business and the exciting scenes of 
ambition, he will show that his heart is 
as much wedded to the world as it ever 
was. If such sorrows and disappoint- 
ments conduct to the Saviour, as they 
sometimes do ; if they lead the troubled 
mind to seek peace in his blood, and 
support in the hope of heaven, then a 
real victory is obtained over the world, 
and then, when the hand of affliction 
is withdrawn, it is seen that there has 
been a work of grace in the soul that 
has effectually changed all its feelings, 
and secured a triumph that shall he 
eternal. 

6. This is he. This Son of God re- 
ferred to in the previous verse. The 
object of the apostle in this verse, in 
connection with verse 8, is to state the 
nature of the evidence that Jesus is the 
Son of God. He refers to three well- 
known things on which he probably 
had insisted much in his preaching, 
the water, and the blood, and the Spirit. 
These, he says, furnished evidence on 
the very point which he was illustrat- 
ing, by showing that that Jesus on 
whom they believed was the Son of 
God. < This,' says he, « is the same 
one, the very person, to whom the well- 
known and important testimony is 
borne ; to him, and him alone, these 
undisputed things appertain, and not 
to any other who should claim to be 
the Messiah* and they all -igrss on thy 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER V. 



385 



by water and blood. And it is 

a Jno. 14. 17. 

same one point.' ver. 8. \ That came. 
(o £3^wj/.) This does not mean that 
when he came into the world he 
was accompanied in some way by 
water and blood, but the idea is, that 
the water and the blood were clearly 
manifest during his appearing on earth, 
or that they were remarkable testimo- 
nials in some way to his character and 
work. An ambassador might be said 
to come with credentials ; a warrior 
might be said to come with the spoils 
of victory j a prince might be said to 
come with the insignia of royalty ; a 
prophet comes with signs and wonders ; 
and the Lord Jesus might also be said 
to have come with power to raise the 
dead, and to heal disease, and to cast 
out devils ; but John here fixes the at- 
tention on a fact so impressive and re- 
markable in his view as to be worthy 
of special remark, that he came by 
water and blood. IT By water. There 
have been many opinions in regard to 
the meaning of this phrase. See Pool's 
Synopsis. Comp. also Liicke in loc. 
A mere reference to some of these opi- 
nions may aid in ascertaining the true 
interpretation. (1.) Clement of Alex- 
andria supposes that by water regenera- 
tion and faith were denoted, and by 
blood the public acknowledgment of 
that. (2.) Some, and among them 
Wetstein, have held that the words are 
used to denote the fact that the Lord 
Jesus was truly a man, in contradis- 
tinction from the doctrine of the Doce- 
tae, and that the apostle means to say 
that he had all the properties of a hu- 
man being — a spirit or soul ; blood and 
the watery humours of the body. (3.) 
Grotius supposes that by his coming 
< by water,' there is reference to his 
pure life, as water is the emblem of 
purity ; and he refers to Ezek. xxxvi. 
25. Isa. i, 16, and Jer. iv. 14. As a 
sign of that purity, he says that John 
baptized him. John i. 28. A sufficient 
33 



the Spirit a that beareth witness, 
because the Spirit is truth. 

objection to this view is, that, as in the 
corresponding word blood, there is un- 
doubted reference to blood literally, it 
cannot be supposed that the word water 
in the same connection would be used 
figuratively. Moreover, as Liicke (p. 
287) has remarked, water, though a 
symbol of purity, is never used to de- 
note purity itself, and, therefore, can- 
not here refer to the pure life of Jesus. 
(4.) Many expositors suppose that the 
reference is to the baptism of Jesus, 
and that by his « coming by water 
and blood,' as by the latter there is 
undoubted reference to his death, so 
by the former there is reference to his 
baptism, or to his entrance on his 
public work. Of this opinion were 
Tertullian, (Ecumenius, Theophylact, 
among the fathers, and Capellus, Heu- 
mann, Stroth, Lange, Ziegler, A.Clarke, 
Bengel, Rosenrniiller, Macknight, and 
others among the moderns. A leading 
argument for this opinion, as alleged, 
has been that it was then that the 
Spirit bare witness to him (Matt. iii. 
16), and that this is what John here 
refers to when he says, < It is the Spirit 
that beareth witness,' &c. To this 
view, Liicke urges substantially the fol- 
lowing objections : (a) that if it refers 
to baptism, the phrase would much 
more appropriately express the fact that 
Jesus came baptizing others, if that 
were so, than that he was baptized him- 
self. The phrase would be strictly ap- 
plicable to John the Baptist, who came 
baptizing, and whose ministry was dis- 
tinguished for that (Matt. iii. 1) ; and 
if Jesus had baptized in the same man- 
ner, or if this had been a prominent 
characteristic of his ministry, it would 
be applicable to him. Comp. John iv. 
2. But if it means that he was bap- 
tized, and that he came in that way 
< by water,' it was equally true of all 
the apostles who were baptized, and of 
all others, and there was nothing so 



386 



L JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



remarkable in the fact that he was bap- 
tized as to justify the prominence given 
to the phrase in this place. (6) If 
reference be had here, as is supposed^in 
this view of the passage, to the 1 wit- 
ness' that was borne to the Lord Jesus 
on the occasion of his baptism, then 
the reference should have been not to 
the « water 1 as the witness, but to the 
« voice that came from heaven' (Matt, 
iii. 17), for it was that which was the 
witness in the case. Though this oc- 
curred at the time of the baptism, yet 
it was quite an independent thing, and 
was important enough to have been re- 
ferred to. Soe Liicke, Commentar. in 
loc. These objections, however, are 
not insuperable. Though Jesus did 
not come baptizing others himself 
(John iv. 2), and though the phrase 
would have expressed that if he had, 
yet, as Christian baptism began with 
him ; as this was the first act in his 
entrance on public life ; as it was by 
this, that he was set apart to his work, 
and as he designed that this should be 
always the initiatory rite of his religion, 
there was no impropriety in saying that 
his 1 coming,' or his advent in this world 
was, at the beginning, characterized by 
water, and at the close by blood. More- 
over, though the « witness' at his bap- 
tism was really borne by a voice 
from heaven, yet his baptism was the 
prominent thing, and, if we take the 
baptism to denote all that in fact oc- 
curred when he was baptized, all the 
objections made by Liicke here vanish. 
(5.) Some, by the « water' here, have 
understood the ordinance of baptism as 
it is appointed by the Saviour to be ad- 
ministered to his people, meaning that 
the ordinance was instituted by him. 
So Beza, Calvin, Piscator, Calovius, 
"Wolf, Beausobre, Knapp, Liicke, and 
©thers understand it. According to 
this, the meaning would be, that he ap- 
pointed baptism by water as a symbol 
of the cleansing of the heart, and shed 
his blood to effect the ransom of man, 
and that thus it might be said that he 



< came by water and blood ;' to wit, by 
these two things as effecting the salva- 
tion of men. But it seems improbable 
that the apostle should have grouped 
these things together in this way. For 
(a) the « blood' is that which he shed ; 
which pertained to him personally; 
which he poured out for the redemp- 
tion of man, and it is clear that, what- 
ever is meant by the phrase « he came, 9 
his coming by < water' is* to be under- 
stood in some sense similar to his com- 
ing by ' blood,' and it seems incredible 
that the apostle should have joined a 
mere ordinance of religion in this way 
with the shedding of his blood, and 
placed them in this manner on an 
equality. (Z>) Ifr cannot be supposed 
that John meant to attach so much im- 
portance to baptism as would be im- 
plied by this. The shedding of his 
blood was essential to the redemption 
of men ; can it be supposed that the 
apostle meant to teach that baptism by 
water is equally necessary ? (c) If 
this be understood of baptism, there is 
no natural connection between that antf 
the 'blood' referred to; nothing b) 
which the one would suggest the other 
no reason why they should be united 
If he had said that he « came' by the 
appointment of two ordinances for the 
edification of his church, 4 baptism and 
the supper/ however singular such a 
statement might be in some respects, 
yet there would be a connection, a rea- 
son why they should be suggested to- 
gether. But why should baptism and 
the blood shed by the Saviour on the 
cross, be grouped together as designat- 
ing the principal things which charac- 
terized his coming into the world 1 
(6.) There remains, then, but one other 
interpretation, to wit, that he refers to 
the « water and the blood' which flowed 
from the side of the Saviour when he 
was pierced by the spear of the Roman 
soldier. John had himself laid great 
stress on this occurrence, and on the 
fact that he had himself witnessed it 
(See Notes on John xix. 34, 35), and 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER V. 



387 



as, in these epistles, he is accustomed 
to allude to more full statements made 
in his gospel, it would seem most na- 
tural to refer the phrase to that event 
as furnishing a clear and undoubted 
proof of the death of the Saviour. 
This would be the obvious interpreta- 
tion, and would be entirely clear, if 
John did not immediately speak of the 
« water' and the * blood' as separate 
witnesses, each as bearing witness to 
an important point, as separate as the 
< Spirit' and the < water,' or the 4 Spirit' 
and the * blood ;' whereas, if he refers 
to the mingled water and blood flowing 
fiom his side, they both witness only 
the same fact, to wit, his death. There 
was no special significancy in the 
water, no distinct testifying to any thing 
different from the flowing of the blood, 
but together they bore witness to the 
one fact that he actually died. But 
here he seems to suppose that there is 
some special significancy in each. 
« Not by water only, but by water and 
blood." "There are three that bear 
witness, the Spirit, and the water, and 
the blood, and these three agree in one." 
These considerations seem to me to 
make it probable, on the whole, that 
the fourth opinion, above referred to, 
and that which has been commonly 
held in the Christian church, is cor- 
rect, and that by the 4 water' the bap- 
tism of the Saviour is intended ; his 
baptism as an emblem of his own 
purity ; as significant of the nature of 
his religion ; as a rite which was to 
be observed in his church at all 
times. That furnished an important at- 
testation to the fact that he was the 
Messiah (Comp. Notes on Matt. iii. 
15), for it was by that that he entered 
on his public work, and it was then 
that a remarkable testimony was borne 
to his being the Son of God. He him- 
self ' came' thus by water as an emblem 
of purity ; and the water used in his 
church in all ages in baptism, together 
with the 4 Mood' and the 4 Spirit,' bears 
public testimony to the pure nature of 



his religion. It is possible that the 
mention of the 1 water' in his baptism 
suggested to John also the water which 
flowed from the side of the Saviour at 
his death, intermingled with blood, and 
that though the primary thought in his 
mind was the fact that Jesus was bap- 
tized, and that an important attestation 
was then given to his Messiahship, yet 
he may have instantly adverted to the 
fact that water performed so important 
a part, and was so important a symbol 
through all his work ; water at his in 
troduction to his work, as an ordinance 
in his church, as symbolical of the na- 
ture of his religion, and even at his 
death, as a public attestation, in con- 
nection with flowing blood, to the fact 
that he truly died, in reality, and not, 
as the Docetse pretended, in appear- 
ance only, thus completing the work 
of the Messiah, and making an atone- 
ment for the sins of the world. Comp. 
Notes on John xix. 34, 35. IT And 
blood. Referring, doubtless, to the shed- 
ding of his blood on the cross. He 
< came' by that; that is, he was mani^ 
fested by that to men, or that was one 
of the forms in which he appeared to 
men, or by which his coming into the 
world was characterized. The apostle 
means to say that the blood shed at 
his death furnished an important evi- 
dence or « witness' of what he was. In 
what way this was done, see Notes on 
ver. 8. IT Not by water only, but by 
water and blood. John the Baptist 
came 4 by water only ;' that is, he came 
to baptize the people, and to prepare 
them for the coming of the Messiah. 
Jesus was distinguished from him in 
the fact that his ministry was charac- 
terized by the shedding of blood, or the 
shedding of his blood constituted one 
of the peculiarities of his work. % And 
it is the Spirit. Evidently the Holy 
Spirit, f That beareth witness. That 
is, he is the great witness in the matter, 
confirming all others. He bears wit- 
ness to the soul that Jesus came « by 
water and blood,' for that would not bi 



388 I. JOHN. [A.D90. 

7 For there are three that ther, a the Word, h and the Holy 
bear record in heaven, the Fa- Ghost : c and these three are one. 

a Jno. 8. 18. b He. 4. 12, 13. Re. 19. 13. c Jno. 10. 30. 



received by us without his agency. In 
what way he does this, see Notes on 
ver. 8. t Because the Spirit is truth. 
Is so eminently true that he may be 
called truth itself, as God is so emi- 
nently benevolent that he may be called 
love itself. See Notes on ch. iv. 8. 

7. For there are three that bear re- 
cord in heaven, &c. There are three 
that witness, or that bear witness — the 
same Greek word which in ver. 8 is 
rendered bear witness (jioQ'tvpovv'tt $) • 
There is no passage of the New Tes- 
tament which has given rise to so much 
discussion in regard to its genuineness 
as this. The supposed importance of 
the verse in its bearing on the doctrine 
of the Trinity, has contributed to this, 
and has given to the discussion a de- 
gree of consequence which has per- 
.tained to the examination of the 
genuineness of no other passage of the 
New Testament. On the one hand, 
the clear testimony which it seems 
to bear to the doctrine of the Tri- 
nity, has made that portion of the 
Christian church which holds the doc- 
trine reluctant in the highest degree to 
abandon it; and on the other hand, 
the same clearness of the testimony to 
that doctrine, has made those who deny 
it not less reluctant to admit the genu- 
ineness of the passage. It is not con- 
sistent with the design of these Notes, to 
go into a full investigation of a question 
of this sort. And all that can be done 
is to state, in a brief way, the results 
which have been reached, in an exami- 
nation of the question. Those who are 
disposed to pursue the investigation 
further, can find all that is to be said 
in the works referred to at the bottom 
of the page.* The portion of the pas- 

* Mill. NewTes., pp. 379—386; Wctetein, 
II, 721—727 ; Father Simon, Crit. Hist. New 
Tes. ; Michaelis, Intro. New Tes., iv. 412, 
seq. ; Semler, Histor. und Krit. Sammlungen 
tjber die sogenannten Beweistellen der Dog- 



sage, in vs. 7, 8, whose genuineness is 
disputed, is included in brackets in the 
following quotation, as it stands in the 
common editions of the New Testa- 
ment : " For there are three that bear 
record [in heaven, the Father, the 
Word, and the Holy Ghost : and these 
three are one. And there are three 
that bear witness in earth,] the Spirit, 
and the water, and the blood ; and 
th.ese three agree in one." If the dis- 
puted passage, therefore, be omitted as 
spurious, the whole passage will read : 
" For there are three that bear record, 
the Spirit, and the water, and the blood ; 
and thefe three agree in one." The 
reasons which seem to me to prove 
that the passage included in brackets 
is spurious, and should not be regarded 
as a part of the inspired writings, are 
briefly the following : I. It is wanting 
in all the earlier Greek manuscripts, 
for it is found in no Greek MS. written 
before the sixteenth century. Indeed, 
it is found in only two Greek manu- 
scripts of any age, one the Codex Mont- 
fortianus, or Brittanicus, written in the 
beginning of the sixteenth century, and 
the other the Codex Ravianus, which ia 
a mere transcript of the text taken partly 
from the third edition of Stephen's 
New Testament, and partly from the 
Complutensian Polyglott. But it is 
incredible that a genuine passage of 
the New Testament should be wanting 
in all the early Greek manuscripts. 
II. It is wanting in the earliest ver- 
sions, and, indeed, in a large part of 
the versions of the New Testament 
which have been made in all former 
times. It is wanting in both the Syriac 
versions—one of which was made pro- 
bably in the first century ; in the 

matik. Erstes Stuck uber, 1 John v. 7. 
Griesbach, Diatribe in locum, 1 John v. 7, 8, 
2d ed. NewTes., vol, II., appendix 1; and 
Lucke, comm. in loc. 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER V. 



389 



Coptic, Armenian, Sclavonic, Ethiopic, 
and Arabic. III. It is never quoted by 
the Greek fathers in their controversies 
on the doctrine of the Trinity — a pas- 
sage which would be so much in point, 
and which could not have failed to be 
quoted if it were genuine ; and it is 
not referred to by the Latin fathers un- 
til the time of Vigilius, at the end of 
the fifth century. If the passage were 
believed to be genuine ; nay, if it were 
known at all to be in existence, and to 
have any probability in its favour, it is 
incredible that in all the controversies 
which occurred in regard to the divine 
nature, and in all the efforts to define 
the doctrine of the Trinity, this passage 
should never have been referred to. 
But it never was, for it must be plain 
to any one who examines the subject 
with an unbiassed mind, that the pas- 
sages which are relied on to prove that 
it was quoted by Athanasius, Cyprian,* 
Augustin, &c. (Wetstein, II., p. 725), 
are not taken from this place, and are 
not such as they would have made if 
they had been acquainted with this 
passage, and had designed to quote it. 
IV. The argument against the passage 
from the external proof is confirmed 
by internal evidence, which makes it 
morally certain that it cannot be genu- 
ine, (a) The connection does not de- 
mand it. It does not contribute to 
advance what the apostle is saying, 
but breaks the thread of his argument 
entirely. He is speaking of certain 
things which bear « witness' to the fact 
that Jesus is the Messiah ; certain 
things which were well-known to those 
to whom he was writing — the Spirit, 
and the water, and the blood. How 
does it contribute to strengthen the 
force of this to say that in heat en there 
are « three that bear witness' — three not 
before referred to, and having no con- 
nection with the matter under con- 
sideration 1 (6) The language is not 
such as John would use. He does, 
indeed, elsewhere use the term Logos, 
ii Word (6 jidW) (John i. 1, 14. I 
33* 



John i. 1), but it is never in this form. 
< The Father, and the Word that is^ 
the terms 'Father' and 1 Word 1 are 
never used by him, or by any of the 
other sacred writers, as correlative. The 
word Son (o vlbf) is the term which is 
correlative to the Father in every other 
place as used by John, as well as by 
the other sacred writers. See 1 John 
i. 3 ; ii. 22, 23, 24 ; iv. 14. 2 John 
iii. 9, and the Gospel of John, passim. 
Besides, the correlative of the term 
Logos* or Word, with John, is not Fa- 
ther, but God. See John i. 1. Comp. 
Rev. xix. 13. (c) Without this pas- 
sage, the sense of the argument is clear 
and appropriate. There are three, says 
John, which bear witness that Jesus is 
the Messiah. These are referred to in 
ver. 6, and in immediate connection 
with this, in the argument (ver. 8), it 
is affirmed that their testimony goes to 
one point, and is harmonious. To say 
that there are other witnesses elsewhere , 
to say that they are one ; contributes 
nothing to illustrate the nature of the 
testimony of these three — the water, 
and the blood, and the Spirit ; and the 
internal sense of the passage, therefore, 
furnishes as little evidence of its genu- 
ineness as the external proof. V. It is 
easy to imagine how the passage found 
a place in the New Testament. It 
was at first written, perhaps, in the 
margin of some Latin manuscript, as 
expressing the belief of the writer of 
what was true in heaven, as well as on 
earth, and with no more intention to 
deceive than we have when we make a 
marginal note in a book. Some tran- 
scriber copied it into the body of the 
text, perhaps with a sincere belief that 
it was a genuine passage, omitted by 
accident ; and then it became too im- 
portant a passage in the argument for 
the Trinity, ever to be displaced but by 
the most clear critical evidence. It 
was rendered into Greek, and inserted 
in one Greek manuscript of the 16th 
century, while it was wanting in all 
the earlier manuscripts. VI. The pas- 



890 L JOHJST. [A. D. 90. 

8 And there are three that and the water, h and the blood : 4 
bear witness in earth, the Spirit, a and these three agree in one. 

a Jno. 15. 26. b Ac. 2. 2-4. 2 Co. 1. 22. c 1 Pe. 3. 21. 



sage is now omitted in the best editions 
of the Greek Testament, and regarded 
as spurious by the ablest critics. See 
Griesbach, and Hahn. On the whole, 
therefore, the endence seems to me to 
be clear that this passage is not a gen- 
uine portion of the inspired writings, 
and should not be appealed to in proof 
of the doctrine of the Trinity. One or 
two remarks may be made, in addition, 
in regard to its use. (1.) Even on 
the supposition that it is genuine, 
as Bengel believed it was, and as he 
believed that some Greek manuscript 
would yet be found which would 
contain it ;* yet it is not wise to ad- 
duce it as a proof-text. It would be 
much easier to prove the doctrine of 
the Trinity from other texts, than to 
demonstrate the genuineness of this. 
(2.) It is not necessary as a proof-text. 
The doctrine which it contains can be 
abundantly established from other parts 
of the New Testament, by passages 
about which there can be no doubt. 
(3.) The removal of this text does no- 
thing to weaken the evidence for the 
doctrine of the Trinity, or to modify 
that doctrine. As it was never used 
to shape the early belief of the Chris- 
tian world on the subject, so its rejec- 
tion, and its removal from the New 
Testament will do nothing to modify 
that doctrine. The doctrine was em- 
braced, and held, and successfully de- 
fended without it, and it can and will 
be so still. 

8. And there are three that bear 
witness in earth. This is a part of 
the text, which, if the reasoning above 
is correct, is to be omitted. The gen- 
uine passage reads (ver. 7), < For there 

* Et tamen etiara atque etiam sperare 
iicet, si non autographum Joanneum, at 
alios vetustissimos codices Graecos, qui hanc 
periocham habeant, in occultis providentiae 
divines forulis adliuc latentes suo tempore 
pioiiuetum i\ \. 



are three that bear record [or witness — 
fxaptvpovvTfss]* tne Spirit, and the water, 
and the blood.' There is no reference 
to the fact that it is done < in earth.' 
The phrase was introduced to corre- 
spond with what was said in the inter- 
polated passage, that there are three 
that bear record l in heaven? 1T The 
Spirit. Evidently the Holy Spirit. 
The assertion here is, that that Spirit 
bears witness to the fact that Jesus is 
the Son of God. ver. 5. The testimony 
of the Holy Ghost to this fact is con- 
tained in the following things : (1.) He 
did it at the baptism of Jesus. Notes, 
Matt. iii. 16, 17. (2.) Christ was em- 
inently endowed with the influences of 
the Holy Spirit; as it was predicted 
-that the Messiah would be, and as it 
was appropriate he should be. Isa. xi. 
2 ; lxi. 1. Comp. Luke iv. 18. John 
iii. 34, Notes. (3.) The Holy Spirit 
bore witness to his Messiahship, after 
his ascension, by descending, according 
to his promise, on his apostles, and by 
accompanying the message which they 
delivered with saving power to thou- 
sands in Jerusalem. Acts ii. (4.) He 
still bears the same testimony in every 
revival of religion, and in the conver- 
sion of every individual who becomes a 
Christian, convincing them that Jesus 
is the Son of God. Comp. John xvi. 
14, 15. (5.) He does it in the hearts 
of all true Christians, for 6 no man can 
say that Jesus is Lord but by the Holy 
Ghost.' 1 Cor. xii. 3. See Notes on 
that passage. The Spirit of God has 
thus always borne witness to the fact 
that Jesus is the Christ, and he will 
continue to do it to the end of time, 
convincing yet countless millions that 
he was sent from God to redeem* and 
save iost men. IT And the water. See 
Notes on ver. 6. That is, the baptism 
of Jesus, and the scenes which occurred 
when he was baptized, furnished evi- 



A. D. 90.] CHAPTER V. 391 

9 If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is 



dence that he was the Messiah. This 
was done in these ways: (1.) It was 
proper that the Messiah should be bap- 
tized when he entered on his work, and 
perhaps it was expected ; and the fact 
fvhat he was baptized showed that he 
had in fact entered on his work as 
Redeemer. See Notes on Matt. hi. 15. 
(2.) An undoubted attestation was then 
furnished to the fact that he was « the 
Son of God/ by the descent of the 
Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, and 
by the voice that addressed him from 
heaven. Matt, iii, 16, 17. (3.) His 
baptism with water was an emblem of 
the purity of his own character, and of 
the nature of his religion. (4.) Per- 
haps it may be implied here, also, 
that water used in baptism now bears 
witness to the same thing, (a) As it is 
the ordinance appointed by the Saviour; 
(6) As it keeps up his religion in the 
world ; (c) As it is a public symbol of 
the purity of his religion ; (d) And as, 
in every case where it is administered, 
it is connected with the public expres- 
sion of a belief that Jesus is the Son 
of God. 1T And the blood. There is 
undoubted allusion here to the blood 
shed on the cross ; and the meaning is, 
that that blood bore witness also to the 
fact that he was the Son of God. This 
it did in the following respects: (1.) 
The shedding of the blood showed that 
he was truly dead — that his work was 
complete — that he died in reality, and 
not in appearance only. See Notes 
on John xix. 34, 35. (2.) The re- 
markable circumstances that attended 
the shedding of this blood — the dark- 
ened sun, the earthquake, the rending 
of the veil of the temple, — showed in a 
manner that, convinced even the Roman 
centurion that he was the Son of God. 
See Notes on Matt, xxvii. 54. (3.) 
The fact that an atonement was thus 
made for sin was an important < wit- 
ness' for the Saviour, showing that he 
had done that which the Son of God 



only could do, by disclosing a way by 
which the sinner may be pardoned, and 
the polluted soul be made pure. (4.) 
Perhaps, also, there may be here an 
allusion to the Lord's Supper, as de- 
signed to set forth the shedding of this 
blood ; and the apostle may mean to 
have it implied that the representation 
of the shedding of the blood in this or- 
dinance, is intended to keep up the 
conviction that Jesus is the Son of God. 
If so, then the general sense is, that 
that blood — however set before the eyes 
and the hearts of men — on the cross, 
or by the representation of its shedding 
in the Lord's Supper, is a witness in 
the world to the truth that Jesus is the 
Son of God, and to the nature of his 
religion. Comp. Notes on I Cor. xi. 
26. IT And these three agree in out. 
sl$ to tv deft* They agree in one thing 
they bear on one and the same point, 
to wit, the fact that Jesus is the Son of 
God. All are appointed by God as 
witnesses of this fact ; and all harmo- 
nize in the testimony which is borne. 
The apostle does not say that there are 
no other witnesses to the same thing ; 
nor does he even say that these are the 
most important or decisive which have 
been furnished ; but he says that these 
are important witnesses, and are en- 
tirely harmonious in their testimony. 

9. If we receive the witness of men. 
As we are accustomed to do, and as 
we must do in courts of justice, and in 
the ordinary daily transactions of life. 
We are constantly acting on the belief 
that what others say is true ; that what 
the members of our families, and our 
neighbours say is true; that what is 
reported by travellers is true ; that 
what we read in books, and what is 
sworn to in courts of justice, is true. 
We could not get along a single day 
if we did not act on this belief ; nor 
are we accustomed to call it in question 
unless we have reason to suspect that 
it is false. The mind is so made thai 



892 



I. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90 



greater : for this is the witness 
of God, which he hath testified 
of his Son. 

10 He that believeth on the 
Son of God hath the witness a in 



it must credit the testimony borne by 
others ; and if this should cease even 
for a single day, the affairs of the world 
would come to a pause. % The wit- 
ness of God is greater. Is more wor- 
thy of belief ; as God is more true, and 
wise, and good than men. Men may 
be deceived, and may undesignedly 
bear witness to that which is not true ; 
God never can be : men may, for sin- 
ister and base purposes, intend to de- 
ceive ; God never can : men may act 
from partial observation, from rumors 
unworthy of credence ; God never can : 
men may desire to excite admiration 
by the marvellous; God never can. 
Men have deceived, God never has; 
and though, from these causes, there 
are many instances where we are not 
certain that the testimony borne by 
men is true, yet we are always certain 
that that which is borne by God is not 
false. The only question on which 
the mind ever hesitates is, whether we 
actually have his testimony, or certainly 
know what he bears witness to ; when 
that is ascertained, the human mind is 
so made that it cannot believe that God 
would deliberately deceive a world. See 
Notes on Heb. vi. 18. Comp. Titus 
i. 2. IT For this is the witness of God, 
&c. The testimony above referred to, 
— that borne by the Spirit, and the 
water, and the blood. Who that saw 
his baptism, and heard the voice from 
heaven (Matt. iii. 16, 17), could doubt 
that he was the Son of God 1 Who 
that saw his death on the cross, and 
that witnessed the amazing scenes 
which occurred there, could fail to join 
with the Roman centurion in saying 
that this was the Son of God ? Who 
that has felt {he influences of the Eter- 
nal Spirit on his heart, ever doubted 



himself : he that believeth not 
God, hath made him a liar ; be- 
cause he believeth not the record 
that God gave of his Son. 

a Ro. 8. 16. 



that Jesus was the Son of God 1 Comp 
Notes on 1 Cor. xii. 3. Any one of these 
is sufficient to convince the soul of this ; 
all combined bear on the same point, 
and confirm it from age to age. 

10. He that believeth on the Son of 
God hath the witness in himself The 
evidence that Jesus is the Son of God. 
Comp. Notes on Rom. viii. 16. This 
cannot refer to any distinct and imme- 
diate revelation of that fact that Jesus 
is the Christ, to the soul of the indi- 
vidual, and is not to be understood as 
independent of the external evidence 
of that truth, or as superseding the ne- 
cessity of that evidence ; but the « wit- 
ness' here referred to is the fruit of all 
the evidence, external and internal, on 
the heart, producing this result ; that is, 
there is the deepest conviction of the 
truth that Jesus is the Son of God. 
There is the evidence derived from the 
fact that the soul has found peace by 
believing on him ; from the fact that 
the troubles and anxieties of the mind 
on account of sin have been removed 
by faith in Christ ; from the new views 
of God and heaven which have resulted 
from faith in the Lord Jesus ; from the 
effect of this in disarming death of its 
terrors; and from the whole influence 
of the gospel on the intellect and the 
affections — on the heart and the life. 
These things constitute a mass of evi- 
dence for the truth of the Christian 
religion, whose force the believer can- 
not resist, and make the sincere Chris- 
tian ready to sacrifice any thing rather 
than his religion ; ready to go to the stake 
rather than to renounce his Saviour. 
Comp. Notes on 1 Pet. iii. 15. IT He 
that believeth not God, hath made him 
a liar, Comp. Notes on ch. i. 10. 
f Because he believeth not the record? 



A.D. 90.] 
11 And 



CHAPTER V. 



393 



this is the record, 
that God hath given to us eter- 
nal life, and ° this life is in his 
Son. 

12 He b that hath the Son, 
hath life; and he that hath not 
the Son of God, hath not life. 



&c. The idea is, that in various ways, 
— at his baptism, at his death, by the 
influences of the Holy Spirit, by the 
miracles of Jesus, &c, God had become 
a witness that the Lord Jesus was sent 
by him as a Saviour, and that to doubt 
or deny this partook of the same cha- 
racter as doubting or denying any other 
testimony ; that is, it was practically 
charging him who bore the testimony 
with falsehood. 

11. And this is the record. This is 
the sum, or the amount of the testi- 
mony (fiap'tvpla) which God has given 
respecting him. IF That God hath 
given to us eternal life. Has provided, 
through the Saviour, the means of ob- 
taining eternal life. See Notes on 
John v. 24 ; xvii. 2, 3. ^ And this 
life is in his Son. Is treasured up in 
him, or is to be obtained through him. 
See Notes on John i. 4 ; xi. 25 ; xiv. 6. 
Col. iii. 3. 

12. He that hath the Son, hath life. 
See Notes on John v. 24. John evi- 
dently designs to refer to that passage 
in the verse before us, and to state a 
principle laid down by the Saviour 
himself. This is the sense of all the 
important testimony that had ever been 
borne by God on the subject of salva- 
tion, that he who believes in the Lord 
Jesus already has the elements of eter- 
nal life in his soul, and will certainly 
obtain salvation. Comp. Notes on 
John xvii. 3. IF And he that hath not 
the Son of God, hath not life. He 
that does not believe on him will not 
attain to eternal life. See Notes on 
John iii. 36. Mark xv% 16. 

13. These things have I written un- 
to you* The things in this epistle re- 



13 These things have I writ 
ten unto you that believe on the 
name of the Son of God ; that 
ye may know that ye have eter 
nal life, and that ye may believe 
on the name of the Son of God. 

a Jno. 1. 4. b Jno. 5. 24. c Jno. 20. 31. 



specting the testimony borne to the 
Lord Jesus. IF That believe on the 
name of the Son of God. To believe 
on his name, is to believe on himself — 
the word name often being used to de- 
note the person. See Notes on Matt, 
xxviii. 19. IT That ye may know that 
ye have eternal life. That you may 
see the evidence that eternal life has 
been provided, and that you may be 
able, by self-examination, to determine 
whether you possess it. Comp. Notes 
on John xx. 31. IF And that ye may 
believe, &c. That you may continue 
to believe, or may persevere in believ- 
ing. He was assured that they actu- 
ally did believe on him then ; but he 
was desirous of so setting before them 
the nature of religion, that they would 
continue to exercise faith in him. It is 
often one of the most important duties 
of ministers of the gospel, to present to 
real Christians such views of the nature, 
the claims, the evidences, and the 
hopes of religion, as shall be adapted 
to secure their perseverance in the faith. 
In the human heart, even when con- 
verted, there is such a proneness to 
unbelief ; the religious affections so 
easily become cold ; there are so many 
cares pertaining to the world that are 
fitted to distract the mind ; there are so 
many allurements of sin to draw the 
affections away from the Saviour ; that 
there is need of being constantly re 
minded of the nature of religion, in 
order that the heart may not be wholly 
estranged from the Saviour. No small 
part of preaching, tb** ¥ efore, must con- 
sist of the re-statemci,* of arguments 
with which the mind has been before 
fully convinced ; of motives whose forca 



1. JOHN. 



IA. D. 90. 



14 And this is the confidence 
that we have 1 in him, That, if 

1 or, concerning. 

has been once felt and acknowledged ; 
and of the grounds of hope and peace 
and joy which have already, on former 
occasions, diffused comfort through the 
soul. It is not less important to keep 
the soul than it is to convert it ; to save 
it from coldness and deadness and for- 
mality, than it was to impart to it the 
elements of spiritual life at first. It 
may be as important to trim a vine, if 
one would have grapes, as it is to set it 
out ; to keep a garden from being over- 
run with weeds in the summer, as it 
was to plant it in the spring. 

14. And this is the confidence that 
we have in him. Marg., concerning. 
Gr., < Towards him,' or in respect to 
him (rtpo$ avtop)' The confidence re- 
ferred to here is that which relates to 
the answer to prayer. The apostle does 
not say that this is the only thing in 
respect to which there is to be confi- 
dence in him, but that is one which is 
worthy of special consideration. The 
sense is, that one of the effects of be- 
lieving on the Lord Jesus (ver. 13) is, 
that we have the assurance that our 
prayers will be answered. On the 
word confidence, see Notes on ch. iii. 
21 ; iv. 17. IT That if we ask any 
thing according to his will, he heareth 
us. This is the proper and the neces- 
sary limitation in all prayer. God has 
not promised to grant any thing that 
shall be contrary to his will, and it 
could not be right that he should do it. 
We ought not to wish to receive any 
thing that should be contrary to what 
he judges to be best. No man could 
hope for good who should esteem his 
own wishes to be a better guide than 
the will of God ; and it is one of the 
most desirable of all arrangements that 
the promise of any blessing to be ob- 
tained by prayer should be limited and 
bounded by the will of God. The 
limitation here, « according to his wili,' 



we ask any thing according to 
his will, he heareth us : 



probably implies the following things: 
(1.) In accordance with what he has de- 
clared that he is willing to grant. Here 
the range is large, for there are many 
things which we know to be in ac- 
cordance with his will, if they are 
sought in a proper manner, as the 
forgiveness of sins, the sanctification of 
the soul (1 Thess. iv. 3), comfort in 
trial, the needful supply of our wants, 
grace that we may do our duty, wis- 
dom to direct and guide us (James i. 
5), deliverance from the evils which 
beset us, the influences of his Spirit to 
promote the cause of religion in the 
world, and our final salvation. Here 
is a range of subjects of petition that 
may gratify the largest wishes of prayer. 
(2.) The expression « according to his 
will/ must limit the answer to prayer 
to what he sees to be best for us. Of 
that we are not always good judges. We 
never perceive it as clearly as our Makei 
does, and in many things we might be 
wholly mistaken. Certainly we ought 
not to desire to be permitted to ask any 
thing which God would judge not to 
be for our good. (3.) The expression 
must limit the petition to what it will 
be consistent for God to bestow upon 
us. We cannot expect that he will 
work a miracle in answer to our pray- 
ers; we cannot ask him to bestow 
blessings in violation of any of the 
laws which he has ordained, or in any 
other way than that which he has ap- 
pointed. It is better that the particular 
blessing should be withheld from us, 
than that the laws which he has ap- 
pointed should be disregarded. It is 
better that an idle man should not have 
a harvest, though he should pray for it, 
than that God should violate the laws 
by which he has determined to bestow 
such favours as a reward of industry, 
and work a special miracle in answer 
to a lazy man's prayers. (4.) The ex- 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER V. 



395 



15 And if we know a that he 
hear us, whatsoever we ask, we 
know that we have the petitions 
that we desired of him. 



pression < according to his will,' must 
limit the promise to what will be for 
the good of the whole, God presides 
over the universe, and though in him 
there is an infinite fulness, and he re- 
gards the wants of every individual 
throughout his immense empire, yet 
the interests of the whole, as well as 
of the individual, are to be consulted 
and regarded. In a family it is con- 
ceivable that a child might ask for 
some favour whose bestowment would 
interfere materially with the rights of 
others, or be inconsistent with the good 
of the whole, and in such a case a just 
father would of course withhold it. 
With these necessary limitations the 
range of the promise in prayer is am- 
ple ; and, with these limitations, it is 
true beyond a question that he does 
hear and answer prayer. 

15. And if we know that he hear 
us. That is, if we are assured of this 
as a true doctrine, then, even .though 
we may not see immediately that the 
prayer is answered, we may have the 
utmost confidence that it is not disre- 
garded, and that it will be answered in 
the way best adapted to promote our 
good. The specific thing that we 
asked may not indeed be granted 
(Comp. Luke xxii. 42. 2 Cor. xii. 8, 
9), but the prayer will not be disre- 
garded, and the thing which is most for 
our good will be bestowed upon us. 
The argument here is derived from the 
faithfulness of God ; from the assur- 
ance which we feel that when he has 
promised to hear us, there will be, 
sooner or later, a real answer to the 
prayer. U We know that we have the 
petitions, &c. . That is, evidently, 
we know that we shall have them, or 
that the prayer will be answered. It 
eannot mean that we already have the 



16 If any man see his brother 
sin a sin which is not unto death, 
he shall ask, and he shall give 

a Pr. 15. 29. Je. 29. 12, 13. 



precise thing for which we prayed, or 
that will be a real answer to the prayer, 
for (a) the prayer may relate to some- 
thing future, as protection on a journey, 
or a harvest, or restoration to health, or 
the safe return of a son from a voyage 
at sea, or the salvation of our souls, all 
of which are future, and which cannot 
be expected to be granted at once ; and 
(b) the answer to prayer is sometimes 
delayed, though ultimately granted. 
There may be reasons why the answer 
should be deferred, and the promise is 
not that it shall be immediate. The 
delay may arise from such causes as 
these : (1.) To try our faith and see 
whether the blessing is earnestly desired. 
(2.) Perhaps it could not be at once 
answered without a miracle. (3.) It 
might not be consistent with the divine 
arrangements respecting others to grant 
it to us at once. (4.) Our own condi- 
tion may not be such that it would be 
best to answer it at once. We may 
need further trial, further chastisement, 
before the afHiction, for example, shall 
be removed, and the answer to the 
prayer may be delayed for months or 
years. Yet, in the mean time, we may 
have the firmest assurance that the 
prayer is heard, and that it will be 
answered in the way and at the period 
when God shall see it to be best. 

. 16. If any man see his brother sin a 
sin, &c. From the general assurance 
that God hears prayer, the apostle turns 
to a particular case in which it may be 
benevolently and effectually employed, 
in rescuing a brother from death/ There 
has been great diversity of opinion in 
regard to the meaning of this passage, 
and the views of expositors of the New 
Testament are by no means settled as 
to its true sense. It does not comport 
with the design of these Notes to e^- 



396 I. J( 

him life for them that sin not 
unto death. There is a sin unto 

amine the opinions which have been 
held in detail. A bare reference, how- 
ever, to some of them will show 
the difficulty of determining with 
certainty what the passage means, 
and the impropriety of any very 
great confidence in one's own judgment 
in the case. Among these opinions 
are the following. Some have supposed 
that the sin against the Holy Ghost is 
intended ; some that the phrase denotes 
any great and enormous sin, as murder, 
idolatry, adultery ; some that it denotes 
some sin that was punishable by death 
by the laws of Moses ; some that it 
denotes a sin that subjected the offender 
to excommunication from the syna- 
gogue or the church ; some that it refers 
to sins which brought fatal disease upon 
the offender, as in the case of those 
who abused the Lord's Supper at Co- 
rinth (see Notes on 1 Cor. xi. 30) ; 
some that it refers to crimes committed 
against the laws, for which the offender 
was sentenced to death, meaning that 
when the charge alleged was false, and 
the condemnation unjust, they ought 
to pray for the one who was condemned 
to death, and that he would be spared, 
but that when the offence was one 
which had been really committed, and 
the offender deserved to die, they ought 
not to pray for him, or, in other words, 
that by « the sin unto death* offences 
against the civil law are referred to, 
which the magistrate had no power to 
pardon, and the punishment of which 
he could not commute, and by the 'sin 
not unto death' offences are referred to, 
which might be pardoned, and when 
the punishment might be commuted ; 
some that it refers to sins before and 
after baptism, the former of which 
might be pardoned, but the latter of 
which might not be; and some, and 
perhaps this is the common opinion 
among the Roman Catholics, that it 



>HN. [A. D. 90. 

death : a I do b not say that he 
shall pray for it. 

a Mat. 32. 31, 32. b Je. 7. 16. 

refers to sins that might or might not 
be pardoned after death, thus referring 
to the doctrine of purgatory. These 
various opinions may be seen stated 
more at length in Rosenmuller, Lucke, 
Pool (Synopsis), and Clarke in loc. To 
go into an examination of all these 
opinions would require a volume by it- 
self, and all that can be done here is to 
furnish what seems to me to be the 
fair exposition of the passage. The 
word brother may refer either to a 
member of the church, whether of 
the particular church to which one was 
attached or to another, or it may be used 
in the larger sense which is common as 
denoting a fellow-man, a member of 
the great family of mankind. There 
is nothing in the word which necessa- 
rily limits it to one in the church ; 
there is nothing in the connection, or 
in the reason assigned, why what is 
said should be limited to such an 
one. The duty here enjoined would 
be the same whether the person referred 
to was in the church or not, for it is 
our duty to pray for those who sin, and 
to seek the salvation of those whom we 
see to be going astray and to be in 
danger of ruin, wherever they are, or 
whoever they may be. At the same 
time, the correct interpretation of the 
passage does not depend on determining 
whether the word brother refers to one 
who is a professed Christian or not. % A 
sin which is not unto death. The great 
question in the interpretation of the 
whole passage is, what is meant by the 
' sin unto death.' The Greek (afmfttta 
rtpoj §diwtov) would mean properly a 
sin which tends to death ; which would 
terminate in death ; of which death 
was the penalty, or would be the result, 
unless it were arrested ; a sin which, if 
it had its own course, would terminate 
thus, as we should speak of a disease 
< unto death.' Comp. Notes on Johh 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER V. 



397 



xi. 4. The word death is used in three 
significations in the New Testament, 
and as employed here might, so far as the 
word is concerned, be applied in any 
one of those senses. It is used to de- 
note (a) literally, the death of the body ; 
(b) spiritual death, or death < in tres- 
passes and sin' (Eph. ii. 1) ; (c) the 
« second death,' death in the world of 
woe and despair. If the sin here men- 
tioned refers to temporal death, it means 
such a sin that temporal death must 
inevitably follow, either by the disease 
which it has produced, or by a judicial 
sentence where there was no hope of 
pardon or of a commutation of the 
punishment; if it refers to death in the 
future world, the second death, then it 
means such a sin as is unpardonable. 
That this last is the reference here 
seems to me to be probable, if not 
clear, from the following considerations. 
(1.) There is such a sin referred to in 
the New Testament, a sin for which 
there is forgiveness 1 neither in this life 
nor the life to come.' See Notes on 
Matt. xii. 31, 32. Comp. Mark iii. 29. 
If there is such a sin, there is no im- 
propriety in supposing that John would 
refer to it here. (2.) This is the obvious 
interpretation. It is that which would 
occur to the mass of the readers of the 
New Testament, and which it is pre- 
sumed they do adopt ; and this, in ge- 
neral, is one of the best means of as- 
certaining the sense of a passage in the 
Bible. (3.) The other significations 
attached to the word deaths would be 
quite inappropriate here, (a) It cannot 
mean 4 unto spiritual death; 1 that is, 
to a continuance in sin, for how could 
that be known, and if such a case oc- 
curred, why would it be improper to 
pray for it 1 Besides, the phrase « a 
sin unto spiritual death,' or « unto con- 
tinuance in sin,' is one that is unmean- 
ing. (6) It cannot be shown to refer 
to a disease that should be unto death 
miraculously inflicted on account of 
sin, because, if such cases occurred, 
they were very rare, and even if a dis- 
34 



ease came upon a man miraculously in 
consequence of sin, it could not be 
certainly known whether it was, or was 
not, unto death. All who were visited 
in this way did not certainly die (Comp, 
1 Cor. v. 4, 5 with 2 Cor. ii. 6, 7. See 
also 1 Cor. xi. 30), (c) It cannot be 
shown that it refers to the case of those 
who were condemned by the civil ma- 
gistrate to death, and for whom there was 
no hope of reprieve or pardon, for it is 
not certain that there were such cases, 
and if there were, and the person con- 
demned were innocent, there was every 
reason to pray that God would inter- 
pose and save them, even when there 
was no hope from man ; and if they were 
guilty, and deserved to die, there was 
no reason why they should not pray 
that the sin might be forgiven, and that 
they might be prepared to die, unless it 
were a case where the sin was unpar- 
donable. It seems probable, therefore, 
to me, that the reference here is to the 
sin against the Holy Ghost, and that 
John means here to illustrate the duty 
and the power of prayer, by showing 
that for any sin short of that, however 
aggravated, it was their duty to pray 
that a brother might be forgiven. 
Though it might not be easy to deter- 
mine what was the unpardonable sin, 
and John does not say that those to 
whom he wrote could determine that 
with certainty, yet there were many 
sins which were manifestly not of that 
aggravated character, and for those 
sins it was proper to pray. There was 
clearly but one sin that was unpardon- 
able — < there is a sin unto death ;'— 
there might be many which were not 
of this description, and in relation to 
them there was ample scope for the ex- 
ercise of the prayer of faith. The 
same thing is true now. . It is not 
easy to define the unpardonable sin, 
and it is impossible for us to determine 
in any case with absolute certainty that 
a man has committed it. But there 
are multitudes of sins which men com- 
rait, which on no proper interpretation 



898 



I. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



of the passages respecting the sin which 
'hath never forgiveness,' can come 
under the description of that sin, and 
for which it is proper, therefore, to pray 
that they may be pardoned. We know 
of cases enough where sin may be for- 
given; and, without allowing the mind 
to be disturbed about the question re- 
specting the unpardonable sin, it is our 
duty to bear such cases on our hearts 
before God, and to plead with him that 
our erring brethren may be saved. 

He shall ask. That is, he shall pray 
that the offender may be brought to 
true repentance, and may be saved. 
IT And he shall give him life for them 
that sin not unto death. That is, 
God shall give life, and he shall 
be saved from the eternal death to 
which he was exposed. This, it is 
said, would be given to < him' who of- 
fers the prayer; that is, his prayer 
would be the means of saving the of- 
fending brother. What a motive is 
this to prayer ! How faithful and con- 
stant should we be in pleading for our 
fellow-sinners, that we may be instru- 
mental in saving their souls ! What 
joy will await those in heaven who 
shall see there many who were rescued 
from ruin in answer to their prayers ! 
Comp. Notes on James v. 15, 19, 20. 
IT There is a sin unto death, A sin 
which is of such a character that it 
throws the offender beyond the reach 
of mercy, and which is not to be par- 
doned. See Mark iii. 28, 29. The 
apostle does not here say what that sin 
is ; nor how they might know what it 
is; nor even that in any case they 
could determine that it had been com- 
mitted. He merely says that there is 
such a sin, and that he does not design 
that his remark about the efficacy of 
prayer should be understood as extend- 
ing to that. IF I do not say that he 
shall pray for it, 1 1 do not intend 
that my remark shall be extended to all 
sin, or mean to affirm that all possible 
forms of guilt are the proper subjects 
of prayer, for I am aware thai there is 



one sin which is an exception, and my 
remark is not to be applied to that. 
He does not say that this sin was of 
common occurrence ; or that they could 
know when it had been committed ; or 
even that a case could ever occur in 
which they could determine that ; he 
merely says that in respect to that sin 
he did not say that prayer should be 
offered. It is indeed implied in a most 
delicate way that it would not be pro- 
per to pray for the forgiveness of such 
a sin, but he does not say that a case 
would ever happen in which they would 
know certainly that the sin had been 
committed. There were instances in 
the times of the prophets in which the 
sin of the people became so universal 
and so aggravated that they were for- 
bidden to pray for them. Isa. xiv. 1 1. 
"Then said the Lord unto me, Pray 
not for this people for their good." xv. 
1. "Then said the Lord unto me, 
Though Moses and Samuel stood be- 
fore me, yet my mind could not be to 
ward this people ; cast them out of my 
sight, and let them go forth." Comp. 
Notes on Isa. i. 15. But these were 
cases in which the prophets were di- 
rectly instructed by God not to pray for 
a people. We have no such instruc* 
tion, and it may be said now with truth 
that, as we can never be certain respect- 
ing any one that he has committed the 
unpardonable sin, there is no one for 
whom we may not with propriety pray. 
There may be those who are so far 
gone in sin that there may seem to be 
little, or almost no ground of hope. 
They may have cast off all the re- 
straints of religion, of morality, of de- 
cency ; they may disregard all the 
counsels of parents and friends ; they 
may be sceptical, sensual, profane ; they 
may be the companions of infidels and 
of mockers; they may have forsaken 
the sanctuary, and learned to despis® 
the sabbath ; they may have been pro- 
fessors of religion, and now may have 
renounced the faith of the gospel alto- 
gether, but still, while there is life it is 



A.D.90] CHAP' 

17 All unrighteousness ° is 
sin : and there b is a sin not unto 
death. 

18 We know that whosoever 

a c. 3. 4. b Ro. 5. 20, 21. 

our duty to pray for them, < if perad- 
venture God will give them repentance 
to the acknowledging of the truth.' 2 
Tim. ii. 25. < All things are possible 
with God;' and he has reclaimed 
offenders more hardened, probably, than 
any that we have known, and has de- 
monstrated that there is no form of de- 
pravity which he has not the power to 
subdue. Let us remember the cases 
of Manasseh, of Saul of Tarsus, of 
Augustine, of Bunyan, of Newton, of 
tens of thousands who have been re- 
claimed from the vilest forms of ini- 
quity, and then let us never despair of 
the conversion of any, in answer to 
prayer, who may have gone astray, as 
long as they are in this world of pro- 
bation and of hope. Let no parent de- 
spair who has an abandoned son ; let 
no wife cease to pray who has a dissi- 
pated husband. How many a prodigal 
son has come back to fill with happi- 
ness an aged parent's heart ; how many 
a dissipated husband has been reformed 
to give joy again to the wife of his 
youth, and to make a paradise again of 
his miserable home ! 

17. All unrighteousness is sin f &c. 
This seems to be thrown in to guard 
what he had just said, that there is 
one great and enormous sin, a sin 
which could not be forgiven. But he 
says also that there are many other 
forms and degrees of sin, sin for which 
prayer may be made. Every thing, 
he says, which is unrighteous (oSlxIo) ; 
every thing which does not conform to 
the holy law of God, and which is not 
right in the view of that law, is to be 
regarded as sin, but we are not to sup- 
pose that all sin of that kind is of such 
a character that it cannot possibly be 
forgiven. There are many who commit 
sin who we may hope will be recovered, 



7ER V. 399 

is born of God sinneth not ; but 
he that is begotten of God keep- 
eth c himself, and that wicked 
one toucheth him not. 

c Ja. 1. 27. 

and for them it is proper to pray 
Deeply affected as we may be in 
view of the fact that there is a sin 
which can never be pardoned, and 
much as we may pity one who has been 
guilty of such a sin, yet we should not 
hastily conclude in any case that it has 
been committed, and should bear con- 
stantly in mind that while there is one 
such sin, there are multitudes that may 
be pardoned, and that for them it is our 
duty unceasingly to pray. 

18. We know that whosoever is horn 
of God sinneth not. Is not habitually 
and characteristically a sinner ; does 
not ultimately and finally sin and 
perish ; cannot, therefore, commit the 
unpardonable sin. Though he may 
fall into sin, and grieve his brethren, yet 
we are never to cease to pray for a true 
Christian ; we are never to feel that he 
has committed the sin which has never 
forgiveness, and that he has thrown 
himself beyond the reach of our prayers. 
This passage, in its connection, is a full 
proof that a true Christian will never 
commit the unpardonable sin, and, 
therefore, is a proof that he will never 
fall from grace. Comp. Notes on Heb. 
vi. 4 — 8 ; x. 26. On the meaning of 
the assertion here made, that < whoso 
ever is born of God sinneth not,' see 
Notes on ch. iii. 6 — 9. ^Keepeth him- 
self. It is not said that he does it by 
his own strength, but he will put forth 
his best efforts to keep himself from 
sin, and by divine assistance he will be 
able to accomplish it. Comp. Notes 
on ch. iii. 3. Jude 21. t And that 
wicked one toucheth him not. The 
great enemy of all good is repelled in 
his assaults, and he is kept from falling 
into his snares. The word toucheth 
(artifE Ttai) is used here in the sense oi' 
harm or injure. 



400 



JOHN. 



[A. D. 90 



19 And we know that we are 
of God, and the whole world lieth 
in wickedness. 

19. And we know that we arc of 
God. We who are Christians. The 
apostle supposed that true Christians 
might have so clear evidence on that 
subject as to leave no doubt on their 
own minds that they were the chil- 
dren of God. Comp. ch. iii. 14. 2 
Tim. i. 12. % And the whole world. 
The term world here evidently means 
not the material world, but the people 
that dwell on the earth, including all 
idolaters, and all sinners of every grade 
and kind. IT Lieth in wickedness. 4 In 
the wicked one/ or under the power 
of the wicked one ( £ V rfoy^p^). It 
is true that the word (rtoi/^pw) may be 
used here in the neuter gender, as our 
translators have rendered it, meaning 
< in that which is evil/ or in « wicked- 
ness but it may be in the masculine 
gender, meaning * the wicked one and 
then the sense would be that the 
whole world is under his control or 
dominion. That this is the meaning 
of the apostle seems to be clear, because 
(1.) The corresponding phrase (ver. 20) 
(iV 1 9 'in him that is true,' 

is evidently to be construed in the mas- 
culine, referring to God the Saviour, 
and meaning < him that is true,' and 
not that we are <in truth.' (2.) It 
makes better sense to say that the 
world lies under the control of the 
wicked one, than to say that it lies « in 
wickedness.' (3.) This accords .better 
with the other representations in the 
Bible, and the usage of the word else- 
where. Comp. 1 John ii. 13. * Ye have 
overcome the wicked one ;' 14, < ye 
have overcome the wicked one ;' iii. 12, 
« who was of that wicked one.' See 
also Notes on 2 Cor. iv. 4, on the ex- 
pression < the God of this world ;' John 
xii. 31, where he is called < the prince 
of this world ;' and Eph. ii. 2, where he 
is called « the prince of the power of the 
eir.' In all these passages it is sup- 



20 And we know that the 
Son of God is come, and 
hath given us an understanding, 

posed that Satan has control over the 
world, especially the heathen world. 
Comp. Eph. vi. 12. 1 Cor. x. 20. In 
regard to the fact that the heathen 
world was pervaded by wickedness, see 
Notes on Rom. i. 21 — 32. (4.) It may 
be added, that this interpretation is 
adopted by.the most eminent critics and 
commentators. It is that of Calvin, 
Beza, Benson, Macknight, Bloomfield, 
Piscator, Lucke, &c. The word lieth 
here (xevttu) means properly to lie ; to 
be laid ; to recline ; to be situated, &c. 
It seems here to refer to the passive and 
torpid state of a wicked world under 
the dominion of the prince of evil, as 
acquiescing in his reign ; making no 
resistance ; not even struggling to be 
free. It lies thus as a beast that is 
subdued, a body that is dead, or any 
thing that is wholly passive, quiet, anil 
inert. There is no energy; no effort 
to throw off the reign ; no resistance ; 
no struggling. The dominion is com- 
plete, and body and soul, individuals 
and nations, are entirely subject to his 
will. This striking expression will not 
unaptly now describe- the condition of 
the heathen world, or of sinners in 
general. There would seem to be no 
government under which men are so 
little restive, and against which tMey 
have so little disposition to rebel, as 
that of Satan. Comp. 2 Tim. ii. 26. 

20. And we know that the Son of 
God is come. We knew this by the 
evidence that John had referred to in 
this epistle. Ch. i. 1 -4; v. 6 — 8. 
IT And hath given us an understand- 
ing. Not an < understanding' consi- 
dered as a faculty of the mind, for reli- 
gion gives us no new faculties ; but 
he has so instructed us that we do un- 
derstand the great truths referred to 
Comp. Notes on Luke xxiv. 45. All 
the correct knowledge which we have 
of God and his government, is to ba 



A. D. 90.] 



CHAPTER V. 



40] 



that we may Know him that is 
true : and we are in him that is 



traced directly or indirectly to the 
Great Prophet whom God has sent into 
the world. John i. 4, 18 ; viii. 12 ; ix. 
5. Heb. i. 1—3. Matt. xi. 27. IT That 
we may know him that is true. That 
is, the true God. See Notes on John 
xvii. 3. IT And we are in him that 
is true. That is, we are united to him ; 
we belong to him ; we are his friends. 
This idea is often expressed in the 
Scriptures by being « in him.' It de- 
notes a most intimate union, as if we 
were one with him — or were a part of 
him — as the branch is in the vine. 
John xv. 4, 6. The Greek construc- 
tion is the same as that applied to 4 the 
wicked one,' ver. 19 (i v t§ tik90wcp). 
IT This is the true God.* There has 
been much difference of opinion in re- 
gard to this important passage ; whether 
it refers to the Lord Jesus Christ, the 
immediate antecedent, or to a more 
remote antecedent — referring to God, 
as such. The question is of importance 
in its bearing on the doctrine of the 
divinity of the Saviour; for if it refers 
to him, it furnishes an unequivocal 
declaration that he is divine. The 
question is, whether John meant that 
it should be referred to him ? With- 
out going into an extended examination 
of the passage, the following considera- 
tions seem to me to make it morally 
certain that, by the phrase < this is the 
true God,' &c, he did refer to the Lord 
Jesus Christ. (1.) The grammatical 
construction favours it. Christ is the 
immediate antecedent of the pronoun 



* Many MSS. here insert the word God — 
• the true God' (rov a\r]$iv6v Sebv). This is 
also found in the Vulgate, Coptic, iEthiopic, 
and Arabic versions, and in the Compluten- 
sian edition of the New Testament. The 
reading, however, is not so well sustained as 
to be adopted by Giiesbach, Tittman, or 
Hahn. That it may be a genuine reading is 
indeed possible, but the evidence is against 
it. Lucke (p. 349) supposes that it is genu- 
ine, and enueavours to account for the man- 
ner in which it was omitted in the MSS. 
34* 



true, even in his Son Jesus 

a Lu. 24. 45. 

this (pvtos)' This would be regarded 
as the obvious and certain construction 
so far as the grammar is concerned, 
unless there were something in the 
thing affirmed which led us to seek 
some more remote, and less obvious 
antecedent. No doubt would have 
been ever entertained on this point, if 
it had not been for the reluctance to 
admit that the Lord Jesus is the true 
God. If the assertion had been that 
« this is the true Messiah ;' or that ' this 
is the Son of God ;' or that ' this is he 
who was born of the Virgin Mary,' there 
would have been no difficulty in the 
construction. I admit that this argu- 
ment is not absolutely decisive ; for 
cases do occur where a pronoun refers, 
not to the immediate antecedent, but to 
one more remote; but cases of that 
kind depend on the ground of neces- 
sity, and can be applied only when it 
would be a clear violation of the sense 
of the author to refer it to the immedi- 
ate antecedent. (2.) This construction 
seems to be demanded by the adjunct 
which John has assigned to the phrase 
< the true God,' — « eternal life.' This 
is an expression which John would be 
likely to apply to the Lord Jesus, con- 
sidered as life, and the source of life, 
and not to God as such. « How familiar 
is this language with John, as applied 
to Christ ! « In him (i. e. Christ) was 
life, and the life was the light of 
men — giving life to the world — the 
bread of life — my words are spirit and 
life — I am the way, and the truth, 
and the life. This life (Christ) was 
manifested, and we have seen it, and 
do testify to you, and declare the eter- 
nal life which was with the Father, 
and was manifested to us.' 1 John i 
2." Prof. Stuart, Letters to Dr. Chan- 
ning, p. 83. There is no instance in 
the writings of John, in which the ap- 
pellation life, and eternal life, is be 
stowed upon the Father, to designate 



m I. JOHN. [A. D. 90. 

Christ. This a is the true God, [ 21 Little children, keep your- 
and eternal life. selves from idols. b Amen. 

a Is. 9. 6. 6 1 Co. 10. 14. 



him as the author of spiritual and eter- 
nal life ; and as this occurs so frequently 
in John's writings as applied to Christ, 
the laws of exegesis require that both 
the phrase « the true God,' and * eternal 
life,' should be applied to him. (3.) If 
it refers to God as such, or to the word 
* true' (fbv aty$tv6v [§sbv]), it would be 
mere tautology, or a mere truism. The 
rendering then would be, < That we 
may know the true God, and we are in 
the true God : this is the true God, 
and eternal life.' Can we believe that 
an inspired man would affirm gravely, 
and with so much solemnity, and as if 
it were a truth of so much magnitude, 
that the true God is the true God ? 
(4.) This interpretation accords with 
what we are sure John would affirm 
respecting the Lord Jesus Christ. Can 
there be any doubt that he who said, 
« In the beginning was the Word, and 
die Word was with God, and the. 
Word was God that he who said 
'all things were made by him, and 
without him was nothing made that 
was made ;' that he who recorded the 
declaration of the Saviour, « I and my 
Father are one; 7 and the declaration 
of Thomas, < my Lord and my God,' 
would apply to him the appellation the 
true God ! (5.) If John did not mean 
to affirm this, he has made use of an 
expression which was liable to be mis- 
understood, and which, as facts have 
shown, would be misconstrued by the 
great portion of those who might read 
what he had written ; and, moreover, 
an expression that would lead to the 
very sin against which he endeavours 
o guard in the next verse — the sin of 
substituting a creature in the place of 
God, and rendering to another the 
honour due to him. The language 
which he uses is just such as, accord- 
ing to its natural interpretation, would 
lead men to worship one as the true 



God who is not the true God, unless 
the Lord Jesus be divine. For these 
reasons, it seems to me that the fair 
interpretation of this passage demands 
that it should be understood as referring 
to the Lord Jesus Christ. If so, it is a 
direct assertion of his divinity, for there 
could be no higher proof of it than to 
affirm that he is the true God. IT And 
eternal life. Having « life in himself 
(John v. 26), and the source and 
fountain of life to the soul. No 
more frequent appellation, perhaps, 
is given to the Saviour by John, than 
that he is life, and the source of life, 
Comp. John i. 4; v. 26, 40; x. 10; 
vi. 33, 35, 48, 51, 53, 63 ; xi. 25 ; xiv. 
6 ; xx. 31 ; 1 John I. 1, 2 ; v. 12. 

21. Little children. This is a fa- 
vourite mode of address with John 
(See Notes on ch. ii. 1), and it was 
proper to use it in giving his parting 
counsel, embracing, in fact, all that he 
had to say — that they should keep 
themselves from idols, and suffer no- 
thing to alienate their affections from 
the true God. His great object had 
been to lead them to the knowledge 
and love of God, and all his coun- 
sels would be practically followed, 
if, amidst the temptations of idolatry, 
and the allurements of sin, nothing 
were allowed to estrange their hearts 
from him. % Keep yourselves from 
idols. From worshipping them ; from 
all that would imply communion with 
them or their devotees. Comp. Notes 
on 1 Cor. x. 14. The word rendered 
idols here (ssSo&op) means, properly, 
an image, spectre, shade — as of the 
dead ; then any image or figure which 
would represent any thing, particularly 
any thing invisible ; and hence any 
thing designed to represent God, and 
that was set up with a view to be ac- 
knowledged as representing him, or to 
bring him, or his perfections, mora 



A.D. 90.] 



CHAPTER V. 



403 



vividly before the mind. The word is 
applicable to idol-gods- — heathen deities, 

1 Cor. viii. 4, 7 ; x. 19. Rom. ii. 22 ; 

2 Cor. vi. 16. 1 Thess. i. 9 ; but it 
would, also, be applicable to any image 
designed to represent the true God, and 
through, or by which the true God was 
to be adored. The essential things in 
the word seem to be (a) An image or 
representation of the deity j and [hi) 
The making of that an object of ado- 
ration instead of the true God. Since 
one of these things would be likely to 
lead to the other, both are forbidden in 
the prohibitions of idolatry. Ex. xx. 
4, 5. This would forbid all attempts 
to represent God by paintings or statu- 
ary ; all idol-worship, or worship of 
heathen gods ; all images and pictures 
that would be substituted in the place 
of God as objects of devotion, or that 
might transfer the homage from God to 
the image ; and all giving of those af- 
fections to other beings or objects which 
are due to God. Why the apostle 
closed this epistle with this injunction 
ne has not stated, and it may not be 
easy to determine. It may have been 
for such reasons as these : (1.) Those 
to whom he wrote were surrounded by 
idolaters, and there was danger that 
they might fall into the prevailing sin, 
or in some way so act as to be under- 
stood to lend their sanction to idolatry. 
(2.) In a world full of alluring objects, 
there was danger then, as there is at 
all times, that the affections should be 
Bxed on other objects than the supreme 
God, and that what is due to him 
should be withheld. It may be added, 
ji the conclusion of the exposition of 
mis epistle, that the same caution is as 
needful for us as it was to those to 
whom John wrote. We are not in 
clanger, indeed, of bowing down to 
idols, or of engaging in the grosser 
forms of idol-worship. But we may 
be in no less danger than they to whom 



John wrote were, of substituting other 
things in our affections in the place of 
the true God, and, of devoting L them 
the time and the affection which are 
due to him. Our children it is possible 
to love with such an attachment as 
shall effectually exclude the true God 
from the heart. The world — its wealth, 
and pleasures, and honours — we may 
love with a degree of attachment such 
as even an idolater would hardly show 
to his idol-gods ; and all the time which 
he would take in performing his devo- 
tions in an idol-temple, we may devote 
with equal fervour to the service of the 
world. There is practical idolatry all 
over the world ; in nominally Christian 
lands as well as among the heathen ; 
in families that acknowledge no God 
but wealth and fashion ; in the hearts 
of multitudes of individuals who would 
scorn the thought of worshipping at a 
Pagan altar ; and even, it is to be 
found, in the heart of many a one who 
professes to be acquainted with the 
true God, and to be an heir of 
heaven. God should have the supreme 
place in our affections. The love of 
every thing else should be held in strict 
subordination to the love of Him. He 
should reign in our hearts; be ac- 
knowledged in our closets, our fami- 
lies, and in the place of public worship ; 
be submitted to at all times as having 
a right to command and control us; be 
obeyed in all the expressions of hi3 
will, by his word, by his Providence, 
and by his Spirit ; be so loved that we 
shall be willing to part without a mur- 
mur with the dearest object of affection 
when he takes it from us ; and so that, 
with joy and triumph, we shall welcome 
his messenger, the angel of death, 
when he shall come to summon us into 
his presence. To all who may read 
these illustrations of the epistle of the 
' beloved disciple/ may God grant thia 
inestimable blessing and honour, Amex« 



THE 

SECOND EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN, 



INTRODUCTION. 



§ 1. The Authenticity of the Second and Third Epistles of John. 

The authenticity of these two epistles was doubted by many in the early 
Christian church, and it was not before a considerable time had elapsed that 
their canonical authority was fully admitted. The first of the three epistles was 
always received as the undoubted production of the apostle John ; but, though 
not positively and absolutely rejected, there were many doubts entertained in re- 
gard to the authorship of the second and third. Their exceeding brevity, and 
the fact that they were addressed to individuals, and seemed not designed for 
general circulation, made them less frequently referred to by the early Christian 
writers, and renders it more difficult to establish their genuineness. 

The evidence of their genuineness is of two kinds — external and internal. 
Though, from their brevity, the proof on these points must be less full and clear 
than it is in regard to the first epistle, yet it is such as to satisfy the mind, on 
the whole, that they are the production of the apostle John, and are entitled to 
a place in the canon of Scripture. 

(1.) External. The evidence of this kind, either for or against the authen- 
ticity of these epistles, is found in the following testimonies respecting them in 
the writings of the Fathers, and the following facts in regard to their admission 
into the canon. 

(cl) In the church and school at Alexandria they were both well known, and 
were received as a part of the -sacred writings. Clement of Alexandria, and 
Alexander, bishop of Alexandria, quote them, or refer to them, as the writings 
of the apostle John. Lardner, vi. 275; Liicke, p. 329. Origen, the successor 
of Clement, says, " John left behind him an epistle of very few stichoi ; perhaps 
also a second and third, though some do not consider these genuine. Both these 
together, however, contain only an hundred stichoi" Dionysius of Alexandria, 
shows that he was acquainted with all of them, but calls the two last tyspofisvat 
— writings alleged to be genuine. For the import of this word, as used by 
Dionysius, see Ltlcke, pp. 330, 331. 

(b) These epistles were known and received in the Western churches in the 
second and third centuries. Of this fact, an important witness is found in Ire 
nseus, who, on account of the place where he resided during his youth, and the 
echool in which he was educated, deserves especial regard as a witness respecting 
the works of John. Hug. He was born at Smyrna, and lived not long after 
(cccciv) 



INTRODUCTION. 



CCCC7 



the times of the apostles. He was a disciple of Polycarp, who was acquainted 
with the apostle John, and having passed his early years in Asia Minor, must, 
in the circumstances in which he was placed, have been familiar with the writ- 
ings of John, and have known well what writings were attributed to him. 
He quotes the second epistle (ver. 11), and with express reference to John as 
the author, under the name of " John, the disciple of our Lord." In another 
place, also, he refers to this epistle. After quoting from the first epistle, he con- 
tinues, " And John, the disciple of Jesus, in the epistle before mentioned, com- 
manded that they (the heretics) should be shunned, saying," &c. He then 
quotes, word for word, the seventh and eighth verses of the epistle. 

(c) The African church, in the third century, regarded the second epistle, at 
least, as the production of John. At a Synod in Carthage, under Cyprian, 
Aurelius, bishop of Chullabi, in giving his vote on the question on baptizing 
heretics, quotes the tenth verse of the second epistle as authority, saying, « John, 
in his epistle, declares,' &c. 

(c?) There is some doubt in regard to the Syrian church, whether these epistles 
were at first received as genuine or not. The manuscripts of the Peschito, or 
old Syriac version, at least since the sixth century, do not contain the Epistle 
of Jude, the Second Epistle of Peter, or the Second and Third of John. Yet 
Ephrem the Syrian, in the fourth century, quotes the Epistie of Jude, the Se- 
cond Epistle of Peter, and the Second of John, as genuine and canonical. As 
this father in the Syrian church was not acquainted with the Greek language 
(Liicke), it is clear that he must have read these epistles in*a ^anslation, and 
as would seem most probable in some Syriac version. The probability would 
seem to be, as these epistles are not in the oldest Syriac version, that there was 
some doubt about their authenticity when that version was made, but that before 
the time of Ephrem they had come to be regarded as genuine, and were trans- 
lated by some other persons. Their use in the time of Ephrem would at least 
show that they were then regarded as genuine. They may have been, indeed, 
at some period attached to the ancient version, but at a later period, as they did 
not originally belong to that version, they may have been separated from it 
Liicke. At all events, it is clear that at an early period in the Syrian church 
they were regarded as genuine. 

(e) Though there were doubts among many of the Fathers, respecting the 
genuineness of these epistles, yet they were admitted in several councils of the 
church to be genuine. In the 85th of the apostolic canons (so called) ; in the 
60th canon of the Synod of Laodicea ; the council at Hippo (A. D. 393), and 
the third council of Carthage (A. D. 397), they were reckoned as undoubtedly 
pertaining to the inspired canon of Scripture. 

(y) All doubts on the subject of the genuineness of these epistles were, how- 
ever, subsequently removed in the view of Christian writers, and in the middle 
ages they were universally received as the writings of the apostle John. Some 
of the Reformers again had doubts of their genuineness. Erasmus quoted the 
sentiment of Jerome, that it was not the apostle John who wrote these epistles, 
but a presbyter of the same name ; and Calvin seems to have entertained some 
doubt of their genuineness, for he has omitted them in his commentaries, but 
these doubts have also disappeared- and the conviction has again become general, 
and indeed almost universal, that they are to be ranked among the genuine 
writings of the apostle John. 

It may be added here, that the doubts which have been entertained on the 
subject, and the investigations to which they have given rise, show the care 



ecccvi 



INTRODUCTION. 



which has been evinced in forming the canon of the New Testament, and de- 
monstrate that the Christian world has not been disposed to receive books as of 
sacred authority without evidence of their genuineness. 

(2.) There is strong internal evidence that they are genuine. This is found 
in their style, sentiment, and manner. It is true, that one who was familiar 
with the writings of the apostle John might compose two short epistles like 
these, that should be mistaken for the real productions of the apostle. There 
are, even in these brief epistles, not a few passages which seem to be a mere 
repetition of what John has elsewhere said. But there are some things in 
regard to the internal evidence that they are the writings of the apostle John, 
and were not designedly forged, which deserve a more particular notice. They 
are such as these : (#) As already said, the style, sentiment, and manner are 
such as are appropriate to John. There is nothing in the epistles which we 
might not suppose he would write; there is much that accords with what he 
has written ; there is much in the style' which would not be likely to be found 
in the writings of another man ; and there is nothing in the sentiments which 
would lead us to suppose that the manner of the apostle John had been assumed, 
for th$ purpose of palming upon the world productions which were not his 
Resemblances between these epistles will strike every reader, and it is unneces- 
sary to specify them. The following passages, however, are so decidedly in the 
manner of John, that it may be presumed that they were either written by him, 
or by one who designed to copy from him : second epistle, vs. 5, 6, 7, 9 ; third 
epistle, vs. 1 1,^2". (6) The fact that the name of the writer is not affixed to 
the epistles, is much in the manner of John. Paul, in every case except in the 
epistle to the Hebrews, affixed his name to his epistles ; Peter, James, and 
Jude did the same thing. John, however, has never done it it any of his writ- 
ings, except the Apocalypse. He seems to have supposed that there was some- 
thing about his style, and manner, which would commend his writings as gen- 
uine ; or that in some other way they would be so well understood to be his, 
that it was not necessary to specify it. Yet, the omission of his name, or of 
something that would lay claim to his authority as an apostle, would not be 
likely to occur if these epistles were fabricated with a design of palming them 
upon the world as his. The artifice would be too refined, and would be too 
likely to defeat itself, to be adopted by one who should form such a plan, (c) 
The apparently severe and harsh remarks made in the epistle in regard to here- 
tics, may be adverted to as an evidence that these epistles are the genuine writ- 
ings of John the apostle. Thus, in the second epistle, ver. 10, he says, "If 
there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your 
house, neither bid him God speed." So in the third epistle, ver. 10 : If I 
come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with mali- 
cious words," &c. It has been made an objection to the genuineness of these 
epistles, that this is not in the spirit of the mild and amiable « disciple whom 
Jesus loved ;' that it breathes a temper of uncharitableness and severity which 
could not have existed in him at any time, and especially when, as an old man, 
he is said to have preached nothing but 4 love one another.' But two circum- 
stances will show that this, so far from being an objection, is rather a proof of 
their genuineness. One is, that, in fact, these expressions accord with what 
we know to have been the character of John. They are not inappropriate to one 
who was named by the master himself, < Boanerges — a son of thunder' (Mark 
iii. 17); or to one who was disposed to call down fire from heaven on the Sama- 
ritan who would not receive the Lord Jesus (Luke ix. 54) ; or to one who* 



INTRODUCTION. 



CCCCV1 



when he saw another casting out devils in the name of Jesus, to^k upon himself 
the authority to forbid him (Mark ix. 38). The truth is, that there was a re- 
markable mixture of gentleness and severity in the character of John, and though 
the former was the most prominent, and may be supposed to have increased as he 
grew old, yet the other also often manifested itself. There was that in the 
character of John, which under some circumstances, and under other teaching 
than that of the Lord Jesus, might have been developed in the form of greal 
exclusiveness, bigotry, and sternness — perhaps in the form of open persecution 
Under the teaching of the Saviour, and through his example, his milder and bettei 
nature prevailed, and so decidedly acquired the ascendency, that we almost never 
think of the harsher traits of his character. The other circumstance is, that it would 
never have occurred to one who should have attempted to forge an epistle in the 
name of John, to have introduced a passage of this kind. The artifice would 
have been too little likely to have accomplished the end, to have occurred to the 
mind, or to have been adopted. The public character of John was so amiable ; 
he was so uniformly spoken of as the < disciple whom Jesus loved gentleness 
and kindness seemed to be such pervading traits in his nature, that no one 
would have thought of introducing sentiments which seemed to be at variance 
with these traits, even though, on a close analysis, it could be made out that 
they were not contrary to his natural character, (d) Perhaps, also, the appel- 
lation which the writer gives himself in these two epistles (6 rtpscr^Vspos) the 
elder, may be regarded as some evidence that they are the writings of the apos- 
tle John ; that is, it is more probable that he would use this appellation 
than that any other writer would. It has, indeed, been made a ground of ob- 
jection that the use of this term proves that they are not the productions of 
John. See Lucke, p. 340. But, as we have seen, John was not accustomed 
to prefix his own name to his writings, and if these epistles were written by 
him when he was at Ephesus, nothing is more probable than that he should 
use this term. It can hardly .be regarded as an appellation pertaining to 
office, for as there were many elders or presbyters in the church (Acts 
xx. 17), the use of the term ( the elder' would not be sufficiently distinctive to 
designate the writer. It may be presumed, therefore, to have a particular re- 
spect to age ; and, under the circumstances supposed, it would apply to no one 
with so much propriety as to the apostle John — one who would be well-known 
as the aged and venerable disciple of the Saviour. Comp., however, Lttcke, on 
the use of this word, pp. 340 — 343. 

§ 2. Of the Person to whom John addressed his Second Epistle, 

This epistle purports to be addressed, as it is in our translation, to < the elect 
lady' (ixtexfy xvpla)> There has been great diversity of opinion in regard to 
the person here referred to, and there are questions respecting it which it is 
impossible to determine with absolute certainty. The different opinions which 
have been entertained are the following: (a) Some have supposed that a Chris- 
tian matron is referred to, a friend of John, whose name was either 'Exhsx-ttj 
(Eclecte), or Kvpla (Cyrw). CEcumenius and Theophyluct supposed that the 
proper name of the female referred to was E elect e ; others have adopted the 
other opinion that the name was Cyria. (&) Others among the ancients, and 
particularly Clement, supposed that the church was denoted by this name, undei 
the delicate £r??.ge of an elect lady ; either some particular church to whom the 
epistle was f^nt, or to the church at large. This opinion has been held by 
some of the modern writers also, (c) Others have supposed, as is implied in 



ecccvm 



INTRODUCTION. 



our common version, that it was addressed to some Christian matron, whose 
name is not mentioned, but who was well-known to John, and perhaps to many 
others, for her piety, and her acts of kindness to Christians. The reason why 
her name was suppressed, it has been supposed, was that if it had been men- 
tioned, it might have exposed her to trouble in some way, perhaps to persecu- 
tion, (d) Recently, Knauer (Studien und Kritik., 1833, Heft 2. s. 452, if.), 
has endeavoured to show that it was addressed to the Virgin Mary, who is sup- 
posed then to have resided in Galilee. The improbability of this opinion is 
shown in Lucke, pp. 352, 353. 

These questions are not very important to be determined, even if they could 
be with accuracy ; and at this period of time, and with the few data which we 
have for forming a correct judgment on the subject, it is not possible to settle 
them with entire certainty. The probable truth in regard to this point, and all 
which it seems now possible to ascertain with any degree of certainty, may be 
expressed in the following specifications : 

(I.) The letter was addressed to an individual and not to a church. If it 
had been to a particular church, it would have been specified, for this is th« 
uniform mode in the New Testament. If it were addressed to the church at 
large, it is in the highest degree improbable that John should have departed 
from the style of address in his first epistle ; improbable in every way that he 
should have adopted another style so mystical and unusual in a plain prose 
composition. It is only in poetry ; in prophecy ; in compositions where figurative 
language abounds, that the church is represented as a female at all ; and it is 
wholly improbable that John, at the outset of a brief epistle, should have adopted 
this appellation. The fact that it was addressed to an individual female, is fur- 
ther apparent from the mention of her children, vs. i. 4 ; " Unto the elect lady 
and her children ;" " I found of thy children walking in truth." This is not 
such language as one would use in addressing a church. 

(2.) It is probable that the name of this lady was designed to be 
specified, and that it was Cyria (Kvpwx,). This, indeed, is not absolutely cer- 
tain ; but the Greek will readily bear this, and it accords best with apostolic 
usage, to suppose that the name of the person to whom the letter was addressed 
would be designated. This occurs in the third epistle of John, the epistles of 
Paul to Philemon, to Timothy, and to Titus, and, so far as appears, there is no 
reason why it should not have been done in the case before us. The Syriac 
and Arabic translators so understand it, for both have retained the name Cyria, 
It may do something to confirm this view, to remark that the name Cyria 
was not uncommon, in subsequent times, at least, among Christian 
females. See Corp. Inscript. Gruter, p. 1127, Num. xi. &svirt7io$ xai tj yvvr\ 
avtov Kvpia,' Comp. Lex. Hagiologic. Lips. 1719, p. 448, where two female 
martyrs of that name are mentioned. See also other instances referred to in 
Lucke, com. p. 351. If these views are correct, then the true rendering of the 
passage would be, « The presbyter unto the elect Cyria.' 

(3.) Of this pious female, however, nothing more is known than what is 
mentioned in this epistle. From that we learn that John was warmly attached 
to her, ver. 5 ; that she was a mother, and that her children were pious, vs. 1, 
4 ; and that she was of a hospitable character, and would be likely to entertain 
those who came professedly as religious teachers, vs. 10, 11. Where, or when 
she lived, or when she died, we have no information whatever. At the time of 
writing this epistle, John had strong hopes that he would be permitted to come 
soon and see her, but whether he ever did so, we are not informed, ver. 12. 



INTRODUCTION. 



CCCC1X 



§ 3. The Canonical Authority of the Second and Third Epistles. 

The canonical authority of these epistles depends on the following things : 
(1.) On the evidence that they are the writings of the apostle John. In pro- 
portion as that evidence is clear, their canonical authority is of course estab- 
lished. 

(2.) Though brief, and though addressed to individuals, they are admitted into 
the canon of Scripture with the same propriety as the epistles to Timothy, to 
Titus, and to Philemon, for those were addressed also to individuals. 

(3.) Like those epistles, also, these contain things of general interest to 
the church. There is nothing in either that is inconsistent with what John 
has elsewhere written, or that conflicts with any other part of the New Testa- 
ment ; there is much in them that is in the manner of John, and that breathes 
his spirit ; there is enough in them to tell us of the way of salvation. 

Of the time when these epistles were written, and the place where, nothing 
is known, and conjecture would be useless, as there are no marks of time or 
place in either, and there is no historical statement that gives the information. 
It has been the common opinion that they were written at Ephesus, and when 
John was old. The appellation which he gives of himself, 1 the elder? accordi 
with this supposition, though it does not make it absolutely certair 



30 



THE SECOND 



EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. 



THE elder unto the elect lady 
and her children, whom I 
love in the truth ; and not I only, 



ANALYSIS OF THE SECOND EPISTLE. 

The points embraced in this epis- 
tle are these : A salutation to the 
female to whom it is addressed, and 
an expression of warm attachment to 
her family, vs. 1 — 3. An expression 
of joy and gratitude that he had been 
permitted to learn that her children 
had embraced the truth, and were walk- 
ing in it. ver. 4. An exhortation to 
live in the exercise of mutual love, in 
obedience to the great commandment 
of the Saviour, vs. 5, 6. The fact that 
many deceivers had gone out into the 
world, and an exhortation to be on the 
guard against their arts. vs. 7, 8. A 
test by which they might be known, 
and their true character ascertained, 
ver. 9. An exhortation to show them 
no countenance whatever; not to treat 
them in any such way, even in the rites 
of hospitality, as to give occasion to 
the charge that she was friendly to 
their doctrines, vs. 10, 11. A state- 
ment that, as he hoped to see her soon, 
he would not write more to her. ver. 
12. And the salutation of the children 
of some one who is spoken of as her 
elect sister, ver. 13. 

1 The elder. See the Intro. § 1.(2) 
{d). IT Unto the elect lady. The elect, 
or chosen Cyria. See Intro. § 2. He 
addresses her as one chosen of God to 
(410) 



but also all they that have known 
the truth ; 



salvation, in the use of a term often 
applied to Christians in the New Tes- 
tament. IT And her children. The 
word here rendered children (texva) 
would include in itself both sons and 
daughters, but as the apostle immedi- 
ately uses a masculine pronoun (ov$), 
it would seem more probably that sons 
only were intended. At all events, the 
use of such a pronoun proves that a 
part at least of her children were sons. 
Of their number and character we have 
no information, except that (Notes on 
ver. 4) a part of them were Christians. 
IT Whom I love in the truth. See Notes 
on 1 John iii. 18. The meaning here 
is, that he truly or sincerely loved them. 
The introduction of the article the here, 
which is not in the original (ip aXtfesiqt), 
somewhat obscures the sense, as if the 
meaning were that he loved them so 
far as they embraced the truth. The 
meaning, however, is that he was sin- 
cerely attached to them. The word 
1 whom' here (6' v $) embraces both the 
mother and her children, though the 
pronoun is in the masculine gender, in 
accordance with the usage of the Greek 
language. No mention is made of her 
husband, and it may thence be inferred 
that she was a widow. Had he been 
living, though he might not have been 
a Christian, it is to be presumed that 
some allusion would have been made 



A. D 90.] 



II. JOHN. 



411 



2 For the truth's sake, which 
dwelleth in us, and shall be with 
us for ever. 

3 Grace be with you, mercy, 
and peace, from God the Father, 



to him as well as to the children, espe- 
cially as there is reason to believe that 
only a part of her children were pious. 
See Notes on ver. 4. IT And not I 
only, but also all they that have known 
the truth. That is, ail those Christians 
who had had an opportunity of know- 
ing them, were sincerely attached to 
them. It would seem from a subse- 
quent part of the epistle (ver. 10), that 
this female was of a hospitable char- 
acter, and was accustomed to entertain 
at her house the professed friends of 
religion, especially religious teachers, 
and it is probable that she was the more 
extensively known from this fact. The 
commendation of the apostle here shows 
that it is possible that a family shall 
be extensively known as one of order, 
peace, and religion, so that all who 
know it, or hear of it, shall regard it 
with interest, respect, and love. 

2. For the truth's sake. They love 
this family because they love the'truth, 
and see it so cordially embraced and so 
happily exemplified. They who love 
the gospel itself will rejoice in all the 
effects which it produces in society, on 
individuals, families, neighbourhoods, 
and their hearts will be drawn with 
warm affection to the places where its 
influence is most fully seen. IT Which 
dwelleth in us. In us who are Chris- 
tians ; that is, the truths of the gospel 
which we have embraced. Truth may 
be said to have taken up a permanent 
abode in the hearts of all who love re- 
ligion. T And shall be with us for 
ever. Its abode with us is not for a 
night or a day ; not for a month or a 
year ; not for the few years that make 
up mortal life ; it is not a passing 
stranger that finds a lodging like the 
weary traveller for a night, and in the 



and from the Lord Jesus Christ, 
the Son of the Father, in truth 
and love. 

4 I rejoiced greatly that I 
found of thy children walking 



morning is gone to be seen no more ; 
it has come to us to make our hearts 
its permanent home, and it is to be with 
us in all worlds, and while ceaseless 
ages shall roll away. 

3. Grace be unto you, &c. See 
Notes on Rom. 1. 7. This salutation 
does not differ from those commonly 
employed by the sacred writers, except 
in the emphasis which is placed on the 
fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is « the 
Son of the Father.' This is much in 
the style of John, in all of whose writ- 
ings he dwells much on the fact that 
the Lord Jesus is the Son of God, and 
on the importance of recognizing that 
fact in order to the possession of true 
religion. Comp. 1 John ii. 22, 23 ; iv. 
15; v. 1, 2, 10, 11, 12, 20. IT In truth 
and love. This phrase is not to be con- 
nected with the expression « the Son of 
the Father,' as if it meant that he was 
his Son ' in truth and love,' but is rather 
to be connected with the « grace, mercy, 
and peace' referred to, as a prayer that 
they might be manifested to this family 
in promoting truth and love. 

4. I rejoiced greatly that I found, 
&c. That I learned this fact respecting 
some of thy children. The apostle 
does not say how he had learned this. 
It may have been that he had become 
personally acquainted with them when 
they were away from their home, or 
that he had learned it from others. The 
word used (svpyjxa) would apply to 
either method. Grotius supposed that 
some of the sons had come on business 
to Ephesus, and that John had become 
acquainted with them there. IF Of thy 
children walking in truth. That is, 
true Christians ; living in accordance 
with the truth, for this constitutes the 
essence of religion. The expression 



412 



II. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



in truth, as we have received a 
commandment from the Father. 

5 And now I beseech thee, 
lady, not as though I wrote a 



used here, < of thy children' (£ x tZ>v 
texvcov), means some of thy children ; 
implying that he knew of a part of 
them who were true Christians. This 
is clear from the Greek construction, 
because («) if he had meant to say 
that he had found them all to be 
of this description, the sentiment 
would have been directly expressed, 
* thy children but as it is some 
word is necessary to be understood 
to complete the sense ; and the 
same thing is demanded by the fact 
that the participle used {walking — 
7iipi7t<x i tovvT!a$) is in the accusative case. 
If he had referred to them all, the par- 
ticiple would have been in the genitive, 
agreeing with the word children (jZjv 
rtepirta'tovvtcov)' Lucke. Whether the 
apostle means to say that only a part 
of them had in fact embraced the gos- 
pel, or that he had only known that a 
part of them had done it, though the 
others might have done it without his 
knowledge, is not quite clear, though 
the former supposition appears to be 
the correct one, for if they had all be- 
come Christians it is to be presumed 
that he would have been informed of it. 
The probability seems to be that a part 
of her children only were truly pious, 
though there is no evidence that the 
others were otherwise than correct in 
their moral conduct. If there had been 
improper conduct in any of her other 
children, John was too courteous, and 
too delicate in his feelings, to allude to 
so disagreeable a circumstance. But, 
"if that pious lady," to use the lan- 
guage of Benson, "had some wicked 
children, her lot was not peculiar. Her 
consolation was that she had some who 
were truly good. John commended 
those who were good, in order to excite 



new commandment unto thee, 
but that which we had from the 
beginning, that a we love one 
another. 

a 1 Jno. 3. 25. 

them in the most agreeable manner to 
persevere." IT As we have received a 
commandment from the Father, That 
is, as he has commanded us to live ; in 
accordance with the truth which he has 
revealed. The Father, in the Scrip- 
ture, is everywhere represented as the 
source of law. 

5. And now I beseech thee, lady. 
Or, ( And now I entreat thee, Cyrid! 
(xvpCa)> See Intro. § 2. If this was 
her proper name, there is no impropriety 
in supposing that he would address her 
in this familiar style. John was pro- 
bably then a very old man ; the female 
to whom the epistle was addressed was 
doubtless much younger. % Not as 
though I wrote a new commandment 
unto thee. John presumed that the 
command to love one another was un- 
derstood as far as the gospel was known; 
and he might well presume it, for true 
Christionity never prevails anywhere 
without prompting to the observance 
of this law. See Notes on 1 Thess. 
iv. 9. IT But that which we had from 
the beginning. From the time when 
the gospel was first made known to us. 
See Notes on 1 John ii. 7; iii. 11. 
IT That we love one another. That is, 
that there be among the disciples of 
Christ mutual love ; or that in all cir- 
cumstances and relations they should 
love one another. John xv. 12, 17. This 
general command, addressed to all the 
disciples of the Saviour, John doubtless 
means to say was as applicable to him 
and to the pious female to whom he 
wrote, as to any others, and ought to 
be exercised by them towards all true 
Christians, and he exhorts her, as he 
did all Christians, to exercise it. It 
was a command on which, in his old 
age, he loved to dwell ; and he had littl* 



A. D. 90.] 



II. JOHN. 



6 And this a is love, that we 
walk after his commandments. 
This is the commandment, That 
as ye have heard from the begin- 
ning ye should walk in it. 

7 For b many deceivers are 
entered into the world, who con- 

a Jno. 14. 15, 21. 6 1 Jno. 4. 1. 

c Mar. 13. 9. d Ph. 3. 16. Re. 3. 11. 

more to say to her than this, to exhort 
her to obey this injunction of the Sa- 
viour. 

6. And this is love, that we walk 
after his commandments. This is the 
proper expression or evidence of love 
to God. See Notes on John xiv. 15, 
21. IT This is the commandment. 
That is, this is his great and peculiar 
commandment; the one by which his 
disciples are to be peculiarly charac- 
terized, and by which they are to be 
distinguished in the world. See Notes 
on John xiii. 34. 

7. For. (6Vt«) This word for, is not 
here to be regarded as connected with 
the previous verse, and as giving a rea- 
son why there should be the exercise 
of mutual love, but is rather to be under- 
stood as connected with the following 
verse (8), and as giving a reason for 
the caution there expressed : 4 Because 
it is a truth that many deceivers have 
appeared, or since it has occurred that 
many such are abroad, look to your- 
selves lest you be betrayed and ruined.' 
The fact that there were many such 
deceivers was a good reason for being 
constantly on their guard, lest they 
should be so far drawn away as not to 
receive a full reward. IT Many de- 
ceivers are entered into the world. Are 
abroad in the world, or have appeared 
among men. Several MSS. read here, 
\ have gone out into the world' (ifjja^m/), 
instead of' have entered into' (siaqT^ov)* 
The common reading is the correct one, 
and the other one was originated, pro- 
Dably, from the unusual form of the 
expression, 'have come into the world,' 
as if they had come from another 

35* 



fess not that Jesus Christ is 
come in the flesh. This is a de- 
ceiver and an antichrist. 

8 Look to yourselves, that a 
we lose not those things which 
we have wrought, 1 but that we 
receive a full reward. 

i or, gained. Some copies read, whichyc have 
gained, but that ye. 

abode. That, however, is not necessa- 
rily implied, the language being such 
as would be properly used to denote 
the idea that there were such deceivers 
in the world. ^ Who confess not that 
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. 
Who maintain that he assumed the ap- 
pearance only of a man, and was not 
realty incarnate. See Notes on 1 John 
iv. 2, 3. IT This is a deceiver. Every 
one who maintains this is to be regarded 
as a deceiver. IT And an antichrist. 
See Notes on 1 John ii. 18; iv. 3. 

8. Look to yourselves. This seems 
to be addressed to the lady to whom he 
wrote, and to her children. The idea 
is, that they should be particularly on 
their guard, and that their first care 
should be to secure their own hearts, 
so that they should not be exposed to 
the dangerous attacks of error. When 
error abounds in the world, our first 
duty is not to attack it and make war 
upon it ; it is to look to the citadel of 
our own souls, and see that all is wel 
guarded there. When an enemy in- 
vades a land, the first thing will not be 
to go out against him, regardless of oui 
own strength, or of the security of our 
own fortunes, but it will be to see that 
our forts are well manned, and that we 
are secure there from his assaults. If 
that is so, we may then go forth with 
confidence to meet him on the open 
field. In relation to an error that is in 
the world, the first thing for a Christian 
to do is to take care of his own heart, 
1T That we lose not those things which 
we have wrought. Marg., < Or, gained* 
Some copies read, which ye have gained, 
hut that ye? The reading here referred 



414 



II. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90 



9 Whosoever transgresseth, 
and abideth not a in the doctrine 
of Christ, hath not God : He 

a Jno. 15. 6. 

to in the margin is found in several 
manuscripts, and in the Vulgate, Syriac, 
and iEthiopic versions. It is not, how- 
ever, adopted in the late critical editions 
of the New Testament, and the com- 
mon reading is probably genuine. The 
sense is not materially varied, and the 
common reading is not unnatural. John 
was exhorting the family to whom this 
epistle was written, to take good heed 
to themselves while so many artful er- 
rorists were around them, lest they 
should be drawn away from the truth, 
and lose a part of the full reward which 
they might hope to receive in heaven. 
In doing this, nothing was more natu- 
ral than that he, as a Christian friend, 
should group himself with them, and 
speak of himself as having the same 
need of caution, and express the feeling 
that he ought to strive also to obtain 
the full reward, thus showing that he 
was not disposed to address an exhorta- 
tion to them which he was not willing 
to regard as applicable to himself. The 
truth which is taught here is one of 
interest to all Christians — that it is pos- 
sible for even genuine Christians, by 
suffering themselves to be led into error, 
or by failure in duty, to lose a part of 
the reward which they might have ob- 
tained. The crown which they will 
wear in heaven will be less bright than 
that which they might have worn, and 
the throne which they will occupy will 
be less elevated. The rewards of heaven 
will be in accordance with the services 
rendered to the Redeemer, and it would 
not be right that they who turn aside, 
or falter in their course, should have 
the same exalted honours which they 
might have received if they had de- 
voted themselves to God with ever in- 
creasing fidelity. It is painful to think 
how many there are who begin the 
Christian career with burning zeal, as 



that abideth in the doctrine of 
Christ, he hath both the Father 
and the Son. 



if they would strike for the highest re- 
wards in heaven, but who soon waver 
in their course, and fall into some para- 
lyzing error, until at last they receive, 
perhaps, not half the reward which 
they, might have obtained. Tf But that 
we receive a full reward. Such f as 
will be granted to a life uniformly con- 
sistent and faithful ; all that God has 
to bestow on his people when mosi 
faithful and true. But who can esti- 
mate the « full reward' of heaven, the 
unspeakable glory of those who make 
it the grand business of their lives tc 
obtain all they can of its bliss 1 And 
who is there that does not feel that he 
ought to strive for a crown in which 
not one gem shall be wanting that 
might have sparkled there for ever 1 

9. Whosoever transgresseth, ana 
abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, 
hath not God. In the doctrine which 
Christ taught, or the true doctrine re- 
specting him. The language is some- 
what ambiguous, like the phrase « the 
love of Christ/ which may mean either 
his love to us, or our love to him. 
Comp. John xv. 9. It is difficult to 
determine here which is the true sense 
— whether it means the doctrine or 
precepts which he taught, or the true 
doctrine respecting him. Macknight 
understands by it the doctrine taught 
by Christ and his apostles. It would 
seem most probable that this is the 
sense of the passage, but then it would 
include, of course, all that Christ taught 
respecting himself, as well as his other 
instructions. The essential idea is, 
that the truth must be held respecting 
the precepts, the character, and the 
work of the Saviour. Probably the 
immediate ailusion here is to those to 
whom John so frequently referred as 
« antichrist/ who denied that Jesus had 
come in the flesh, ver. 7. At the same 



A. D. 90.] 



II. JOHN. 



415 



10 If ° there come any unto 
you, and bring not this doctrine, 

a Ga. 1. 8. 9. 

time, however, he makes the remark 
general, that if any one did not hold 
the true doctrine respecting the Saviour, 
he had no real knowledge of God. See 
John i. 18 ; v. 23 ; xv. 23 ; xvii. 3. 1 
John ii. 23. 1 Hath not God. Has no 
true knowledge of God. The truth taught 
here is, that it is essential to piety to 
hold the true doctrine respecting Christ. 
^ He that abideth in the doctrine of 
Christ. In the true doctrine respecting 
Christ, or in the doctrine which he 
taught. \ He hath both the Father 
and the Son. There is such an inti- 
mate union between the Father and 
the Son, that he who has just views of 
the one has also of the other. Comp. 
Notes on John xiv. 7, 9, 10, 11, and 1 
John ii. 23. 

10. J/"* there come any unto you. 
Any professed teacher of religion. 
There can be no doubt that she to 
whom this epistle was written was ac- 
customed to entertain such teachers. 
IT And bring not this doctrine. This 
doctrine which Christ taught, or the 
true doctrine respecting him and his 
religion. ^ Receive him not into your 
house. This cannot mean that no acts 
of kindness, in any circumstances, were 
to be shown to such persons ; but that 
there was to be- nothing done which 
could be fairly construed as encourag- 
ing or countenancing them as religious 
teachers. The true rule would seem to 
be, in regard to such persons, that, so 
far as we have intercourse with them as 
neighbours, or strangers, we are to be 
honest, true, kind, and just, but we are 
to do nothing that will countenance 
them as religious teachers. We are 
not to attend on their instruction (Prov. 
xix. 27) ; we are not to receive them 
into our houses or to entertain them as 
religious teachers ; we are not to com- 
mend them to others, or to give them 
any reason to use our names or infiu- 



receive him not into your house, 
neither bid him God speed : 



ence in propagating error. It would 
not be difficult to practice this rule, 
and yet to show to others all the kind- 
ness, and all the attention in circum- 
stances of want, which religion de- 
mands. A man who is truly consistent 
is never suspected of countenancing 
error, even when he is distinguished 
for liberality, and is ready, like the 
good Samaritan, to pour in oil and 
wine into the wounds of any waylaid 
traveller. The command not to « re- 
ceive such a one into the house,' in 
such circumstances as those referred to 
by John, would be probably understood 
literally, as he doubtless designed that 
it should be. To do that ; to meet 
such persons with a friendly greeting, 
would be construed as countenancing 
their doctrine, and as commending 
them to others, and hence it was for- 
bidden that they should be entertained 
as such. This treatment would not be 
demanded where no such interpretation 
could be put on receiving a friend or 
relative who held different and even 
erroneous views, or in showing kind- 
ness to a stranger who differed from us, 
but it would apply to the receiving and 
entertaining a professed teacher of reli- 
gion, as such ; and the rule is as ap- 
plicable now as it was then. IT Neither 
bid him God speed. Kot ^cwpsty <W<p 
uvi xiystfs — 1 and do not say to him, 
hail, or joy? Do not wish him joy ; 
do not hail, or salute him. The word 
used expresses the common form of 
salutation, as when we wish one health, 
success, prosperity. Matt. xxvi. 49, 
Acts xv. 23 ; xxiii. 26. James i. 1, 
It would be understood as expressing a 
wish for success in the enterprise in 
which they were embarked ; and though 
we should love all men, and desire 
their welfare, and sincerely seek their 
happiness, yet we can properly wish no 
one*success in a career of sin and erro*. 



416 



II. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90 



11 For he that biddeth him 
God speed, is partaker a of his 
evil deeds. 

12 Having many things to 
write unto you, I would not 
write with paper and ink : but I 



11. For he that biddeth him God 
speed, is partaker of his evil deeds. 
Shows that he countenances and ap- 
proves of the doctrine which is taught. 
Comp. Notes on 1 Tim. v. 22. 

12. Having many things to write 
unto you. That I would wish to say. 
This language is such as would be 
used by one who was hurried, or who 
was in feeble health, or who hoped soon 
to see the person written to. In such 
a case, only the points would be select- 
ed which were of most immediate and 
pressing importance, and the remainder 
would be reserved for a more free per- 
sonal interview. IT I would not write 
with paper. The word paper here 
conveys an idea which is not strictly 
correct. Paper, as that term is now 
understood, was not invented until long 
after this period. The material desig- 
nated by the word used by John 
(^aptf)^) was the Egyptian papyrus, 
and the particular thing denoted was a 
leaf made out of that plant. The sheets 
were made from membranes of the 
plant closely pressed together. This 
plant was found also in Syria and Ba- 
bylon, but it was produced in greater 
abundance in Egypt, and that was the 
plant which was commonly used. It 
was so comparatively cheap, that it in 
a great measure superseded the earlier 
materials for writing — plates of lead, or 
stone, or the skins of animals. It is 
probable that the books of the New 
Testament were written on this species 
of paper. Comp. Hug. Intro, ch. iii., 
§11. IT And ink. The ink which 
was commonly employed in writing 
was made of soot and water, with a 
mixture of some species of gum to give 
it consistency and durabiJity. Lucke. 



trust to come unto you, and 
speak face 1 to face, that 2 our 
joy b may be full. 

13 The children of thy elect 
sister greet thee. Amen. 

a 1 Ti. 5. 22. i mouth to mouth. 

2 or, your. b 1 Jno. 1. 4. 

The- instrument or pen was made of a 
reed. IT But I trust to come unto you, 
and speak face to face. Marg., as in 
Greek, mouth to mouth. The phrase 
is a common o*e, to denote conversa- 
tion with any one, especially free and 
confidential conversation. Comp. Num. 
xii. 8. Jer. xxxii. 4. IT That our joy 
may be full. Marg., your. The mar- 
ginal reading has arisen from a varia- 
tion in the Greek copies. The word 
our is best sustained, and accords best 
with the connection. John would be 
likely to express the hope that he would 
find pleasure from such an interview. 
See Notes on 1 John i. 4. Comp. 
Rom. i. 11, 12. 

13. The children of thy elect sister 
greet thee. Of this 4 elect sister' no- 
thing more is known. It would seem 
probable from the fact that she is not 
mentioned as sending her salutations, 
that she was either dead, or that she 
was absent. John mentions her, how- 
ever, as a Christian — as one of the elect- 
or chosen of God. 

REMARKS ON THIS EPISTLE. 

In view of the exposition of this 
epistle we may make the following 
remarks : 

1. It is desirable for a family to have 
a character for piety so consistent and 
well understood that all who know it 
shall perceive it and love it. ver. 1. In 
the case of this lady and her house- 
hold, it would seem that, as far as they 
were known, they were known as a 
well-ordered Christian household. Such 
a family John said he loved ; and he 
said that it was loved by all who had 
any knowledge of them. What is more 
lovely to the view than such a house* 



A. D. 90.] 



II. JOHN. 



417 



hold 1 What is better fitted to make 
an impression on the world favourable 
to religion 1 

2. It is a matter of great rejoicing 
when any part of a family become 
truly religious, ver. 4. We should re- 
joice with our friends, and should ren- 
der unfeigned thanks to God, if any 
of their children are converted, and 
walk in the truth. No greater bless- 
ing can descend on a family than the 
early conversion of children, and as 
angels rejoice over one sinner that is 
converted, we should rejoice when the 
children of our friends are brought to 
a knowledge of the truth, and devote 
themselves to God in early life. 

3. It is our duty to be on our guard 
against the arts of the teachers of error, 
ver. 7. They abound in every age. 
They are often learned, eloquent, and 
profound. They study and understand 
the arts of persuasion. They adapt 
their instructions to the capacity of 
those whom they would lead astray. 
They flatter their vanity ; accommo- 
date themselves to their peculiar views 
and tastes ; court their society, and seek 
to share their friendship. They often 
appear to be eminently meek, and se- 
rious, and devout, and prayerful, for 
they know that no others can succeed 
#ho profess to inculcate the principles 
of religion. There are few arts more 
profound than that of leading men into 
error; few that are studied more, or 
with greater success. Every Christian, 
therefore, should be on his guard against 
such arts; and while he should on all 
subjects be open to conviction, and be 
ready to yield his own opinions when 
convinced that they are wrong, yet he 
should yield to truth, not to men,- to 
argument, not to the influence of the 
personal character of the professed re- 
ligious teacher. 

4. We may see that it is possible for 
us to lose a portion of the reward which 
we might enjoy in heaven, ver. 8. The 
rewards of heaven will be apportioned 
to our character, and to our services in 



the cause of religion in this life, and 
they who 1 sow sparingly shall also reap 
sparingly/ Christians often begin then 
course with great zeal, and as if they 
were determined to reap the highest re- 
wards of the heavenly world. If they 
should persevere in the course which 
they have commenced, they would in- 
deed shine as the stars in the firma- 
ment. But alas, their zeal soon dies 
away. They relax their efforts, and 
lose their watchfulness. They engage 
in some pursuit that absorbs their time, 
and interferes with their habits of de- 
votion. They connive at error and 
sin ; begin to love the comforts of this 
life ; seek the honours or the riches of 
this world, and, though they may be 
saved at last, yet they lose half their 
reward. It should be a fixed purpose 
with all Christians, and especially with 
such as are just entering on the Chris- 
tian life, to wear in heaven a crown as 
bright, and studded with as many jewels 
as can possibly be obtained, 

5. We may learn from this epistle 
how to regard and treat the teachers of 
error, ver. 10. We are not to do any 
thing that can be fairly construed as 
countenancing their doctrines. This 
simple rule would guide us to a course 
that is right. We are to have minds 
open to conviction. We are to love the 
truth, and be ever ready to follow it. 
We are not to be prejudiced against 
any thing. We are to treat all men 
with kindness; to be true, and just, 
and faithful in our intercourse with all ; 
to be hospitable, and ever ready to do 
good to all who are needy, whatever 
their name, colour, rank, or opinions ; 
we are not to cut the ties which bind 
us to our friends and kindred, though 
they embrace opinions which we deem 
erroneous or dangerous; but we are in 
no way to become the patrons of error 
or to leave the impression that we are 
indifferent as to what is believed. The 
.friends of truth and piety we should 
receive cordially to our dwellings, and 
should account ourselves honoured by 



418 



II. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



their presence (Ps. ci. 6 7) ; strangers 
we should not forget to entertain, for 
thereby we may entertain angels un- 
awares (Heb. xiii. 2) ; but the open 
advocate of what we regard as danger- 
ous error, we are not to receive in any 
such sense or way as to have our treat- 
ment of him fairly construed as patron- 
izing his errors, or commending him as 
a teacher to the favourable regards of 
our fellow-men. Neither by our in- 
fluence, our names, our money, our 
personal friendship, are we to give him 
increased facilities for spreading perni- 
cious error through the world. As 
men, as fellow-sufferers, as citizens, as 
neighbours, as the friends of temper- 
ance, of the prisoner, of the widow, the 
* orphan, and the slave, and as the pa- 
trons of learning, we may be united in 
promoting objects dear to our hearts, 
but as religious teachers we are to 
show them no countenance, not so 
much as would be implied in the com- 



mon form of salutation wishing them 
success. In all this there is no breach 
of charity, and no want of true love, 
for we are to love the truth more than 
we are the persons of men. To the 
man himself we should be ever ready 
to do good. Him we should never in- 
jure in any way, in his person, pro- 
perty, or feelings. We should never 
attempt to deprive him of the right of 
cherishing his own opinions, and of 
spreading them in his own way, an- 
swerable, not to us, but to God. We 
should impose no pains or penalties on 
him for the opinions which he holds. 
But we should do nothing to give him 
increased power to propagate them, and 
should never place ourselves by any 
alliance of friendship, family, or busi- 
ness, in such a position that we shall 
not be perfectly free to maintain ouf 
own sentiments, and to oppose what 
we deem to be error, whoever may ad- 
vocate it 



THE THIRD 



EPISTLE GENERAL OF JOHN. 




j HE elder unto the well-be- 



AN ALT SIS OF THE EPISTLE. 

This brief epistle, written to a Chris- 
tian whose name was Gaius, of whom 
nothing more is known (Comp. Notes 
on vsr. 1), and in respect to which the 
time and place of writing it are equally 
unknown, embraces the following sub- 
jects : I. The address, with an expres- 
sion of tender attachment, and an ear- 
nest wish for his welfare and happiness, 
vs. I, 2. II. A commendation of his 
character and doings, as the writer 
had learned it from some brethren 
who had visited him, particularly (a) 
for his attachment to the truth, and 
(6) for his kindness shown to the 
members of his own church, and 
to strangers who had gone forth to 
some work of charity, vs. 3 — 8. III. 
The writer then adverts to the fact 
that he had written on this subject 
to the church, commending these stran- 
gers to their attention, but that Diotre- 
phes would not acknowledge his au- 
thority, or receive those whom he intro- 
duced to them. This conduct, he said, 
demanded rebuke, and he says that 
when he himself came, he would take 
proper measures to assert his own au- 
thority, and show to him and to the 
church the duty of receiving Christian 
brethren commended to them from 
abroad, y*. 9, 10. IV. He exhorts 
Gaius t<- persevere in that which was 



loved Gaius, whom I love 1 in 
the truth. 



good — in a life of love and kindness 
in an imitation of the benevolent God. 
ver. 11. V. Of another person — De- 
metrius — who, it would seem, had been 
associated with Gaius in the honour- 
able course which he had pursued, in 
opposition to what the church had 
done, he also speaks in terms of com- 
mendation, and says that the same 
honourable testimony had been borne 
of him which had been of Gaius. ver 
12. VI. As in the second epistle, he 
says, in the close, that there were many 
things which he would be glad to say 
to him, but there were reasons why 
they should not be set down « in black 
and white/ but he hoped soon to con- 
fer with him freely on those subjects 
face to face, and the epistle is closed by 
kind salutations, vs. 13, 14. 

The occasion on which the epistle 
was written, is no farther known than 
appears from the epistle itself. From 
this, the following facts are all that can 
now be ascertained : (1.) That Gaius 
was a Christian man, and evidently a 
member of the church, but of what 
church is unknown. (2.) That there 
were certain persons known to the 
writer of the epistle, and who either 
lived where he did, or who had been 
commended to him by others, who pro- 
posed to travel to the place where 
Gaius lived. Their particular object is 
not known, further than that it is' said 
(419) 



420 



III. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90. 



(ver. 7), that they < went for his name's 
sake that is, in the cause of religion. 
It further appears that they had resolved 
not to be dependent on the heathen for 
their support, but wished the favour 
and friendship of the church — perhaps 
designing to preach to the heathen, and 
yet apprehending that if they desired 
their maintenance from them, it would 
be charged on them that they were 
mercenary in their ends. (3.) In these 
circumstances, and with this view, the 
author of this epistle wrote to the 
church, commending these brethren to 
their kind and fraternal regards. (4.) 
This recommendation, so far as appears, 
would have been successful, had it not 
been for one man, Diotrephes, who had 
so much influence, and who made such 
violent opposition, that the church re- 
fused to receive them, and they became 
dependent on private charity. The 
ground of the opposition of Diotrephes 
is not fully stated, but it seems to have 
arisen from two sources : (a) A desire 
to rule in the church ; and (Z>) A par- 
ticular opposition to the writer of this 
epistle, and a denial of any obligation 
to recognise his instructions or com- 
mendations as binding. The idea 
seems to have been that the church 
was entirely independent, and might 
receive or reject any whom it pleased, 
though they were commended to them 
by an apostle. (5.) In these circum- 
stances, Gaius, as an individual, and 
against the action of the church, re- 
ceived and hospitably entertained these 
strangers, and aided them in the pro- 
secution of their work. In this office 
of hospitality, another member of the 
church, Demetrius, also shared ; and 
to commend them for this work, par- 
ticularly Gaius, at whose house, proba- 
bly, they were entertained, is the design 
of this epistle. (6.) After having re- 
turned to the writer of this epistle, who 
had formerly commended them to the 
church, and having borne honourable 
testimony to the hospitality of Gaius, it 
would seem that they resolved to repeat 



their journey for the same purpose, and 
that the writer of the epistle commend- 
ed them now to the renewed hospitality 
of Gaius. On this occasion, probably, 
they bore this epistle to him. See 
Notes on vs. 6, 7. Of Diotrephes 
nothing more is known than is here 
specified. Erasmus and Bede supposed 
that he was the author of a new sect ; 
but of this there is no evidence, and if 
he had been, it is probable that John 
would have cautioned Gaius against 
his influence. Many have supposed 
that he was a bishop or pastor in the 
church where he resided ; but there is 
no evidence of this, and as John wrote 
to * the church? commending the stran- 
gers to them, this would seem to be 
hardly probable. Comp. Rev. ii. 1, 8, 
12, 18; in. 1, 7, 14. Others have sup- 
posed that he was a deacon, and had 
charge of the funds of the church, and 
that he lefused to furnish to these 
strangers the aid out of the public trea- 
sury which they needed, and that by 
so doing he hindered them in the pro 
secution of their object. But all this 
is mere conjecture, and it is now im- 
possible to ascertain what office he held, 
if he held any. That he was a man 
of influence is apparent ; that he was 
proud, ambitious, and desirous of ruling, 
is equally clear ; and that he prevailed 
on the church not to receive the stran- 
gers commended to them by the apos- 
tle is equally manifest. Of the rank 
and standing of Demetrius nothing 
more is known. Benson supposes that 
he was the bearer of this letter, and 
that he had gone with the brethren 
referred to to preach to the Gentiles. 
But it seems more probable that he 
was a member of the church to which 
Gaius belonged, and that he had con- 
curred with him in rendering aid to 
the strangers who had been rejected by 
the influence of Diotrephes. If he had 
gone with these strangers, and had car 
ried this letter, it would have been no- 
ticed, and it would have been in accord- 
ance with the apostolic custom, that he 



A. D. 90.] m. J 

2 Beloved, I wish 1 above all 
things that thou mayest prosper 

i or, pray. 

should have been commended to the fa- 
vourable attentions of Gaius. In regard 
to the authenticity and the canonical au- 
thority of this epistle, see the Introduc- 
tion to the Second Epistle of John. 

1. The elder. See Notes on the Se- 
cond Epistle, ver. 1. t Unto the well- 
beloved Gaius. Three persons of this 
name are elsewhere mentioned in the 
New Testament — Gaius whom Paul in 
Rom. xvi. 23 calls < his host,' and whom 
he says (1 Cor. i. 15) he baptized, resid- 
ing at Corinth (See Notes on Rom. xvi. 
23) ; Gaius of Macedonia, one of Paul's 
companions in travel, who was arrested 
by an excited mob at Ephesus (Acts 
xix. 29) ; and Gaius of Derbe, who 
went with Paul and Timothy into Asia 
(Acts xx. 4). Whether either of these 
persons is referred to here, cannot with 
certainty be determined. If it were any 
of them, it was probably the last-men- 
tioned — Gaius of Derbe. There is no 
objection to the supposition that he was 
the one, unless it be from the fact this 
epistle was probably written many 
years after the transaction mentioned 
in Acts xx. 4, and the probability that 
Gaius might not have lived so long. 
The name was not an uncommon one, 
and it cannot be determined now who 
he was, or where he lived. "Whether 
he had any office in the church is un- 
known, but he seems to have been a 
man of wealth and influence. The 
word translated < well-beloved,' means 
simply beloved. It shows that he was 
a personal friend of the writer of this 
epistle. IT Whom 1 love in the truth. 
Marg., ' or, truly.' See Notes on the 
Second Epistle, ver. 1. 

2. Beloved, I wish above all things. 
Marg., pray. The word used here 
commonly means in the New Testa- 
ment to pray ; but it is also employed 
to express a strong and earnest desire 
for any thing. Acts xxvii. 29. Rom. ix. 



3HN. 421 

and be in health, even as thy 
soul prospereth. 



3. 2 Cor. xiii. 9. This is probably all 
that is implied here. The phrase ren- 
dered « above all things' (rtspt) rtavtcov) 
would be more correctly rendered here 
« concerning, or in respect to, all things ;' 
and the idea is, that John wished ear- 
nestly that in all respects he might 
have the same kind of prosperity which 
his soul had. The common transla- 
tion 1 above all things' would seem to 
mean that John valued health and out- 
ward prosperity more than he did any 
thing else ; that he wished that more 
than his usefulness or salvation. This 
cannot be the meaning, and is 
not demanded by the proper inter- 
pretation of the original. See this 
shown in Lucke, in loc. The sense ie, 
4 In every respect, I wish that it may 
go as well with you as it does with 
your soul; that in your worldly pros- 
perity, your comfort, and your bodily 
health, you may be as prosperous as 
you are in your religion.' This is the 
reverse of the wish which we are com- 
monly constrained to express for our 
friends, for such is usually the com- 
parative want of prosperity and ad- 
vancement in their spiritual interests 
that it is an expression of benevolence 
to desire that they might prosper in 
that respect as much as they do in 
others. IT That thou mayest prosper 
(svoSovc&at)* This wor( l occurs in the 
New Testament only in the follow- 
ing places: Rom. i. 10, rendered have 
a prosperous journey ; 1 Cor. xvi. 2, 
rendered hath prospered, and in the 
passage before us. It means, properly, 
to lead in a good way ; to prosper 
one's journey ; and then to make pros- 
perous ; to give success to ; to be pros- 
pered. It would apply here to any 
plan or purpose entertained. It would 
include success in business, happiness 
in domestic relations, or prosperity in 
any of the engagements and transac- 



422 



III. JOHJN. 



[A. D. 90. 



3 For I rejoiced greatly when 
the brethren came and testified 
of the truth that is in thee, even 
as thou walkest a in the truth. 

tions in which a Christian might law- 
fully engage. It shows that it is right 
to wish that our friends may have suc- 
cess in the works of their hands, and 
their plans of life, And be in health. 
To enjoy bodily health. It is not ne- 
cessary to suppose, in order to a correct 
interpretation of this, that Gaius was 
at that time suffering from bodily in- 
disposition, though perhaps it is most 
natural to suppose that, as John makes 
the wish for his health so prominent. 
But it is common, in all circumstances, 
to wish for the health and prosperity of 
our friends ; and it is as proper as it is 
common, if we do not give that a de- 
gree of prominence above the welfare 
of the soul. IT Even as thy soul pros- 
pereth. John had learned, it would 
eeem, from the 'brethren' who had 
come to him (ver. 3), that Gaius was 
living as became a Christian ; that he 
was advancing in the knowledge of 
the truth, and was exemplary in the 
duties of the Christian life, and he 
prays that in all other respects he might 
be prospered as much as he was in that, 
It is not very common that a man is 
more prospered in his spiritual interests 
than he is in his other interests, or that 
we can, in our wishes for the welfare 
of our friends, make the prosperity of 
the soul, and the practice and enjoy- 
ment of religion, the standard of our 
wishes in regard to other things. It 
argues a high state of piety when we 
can, as the expression of our highest 
desire for the welfare of our friends, 
express the hope that they may be in 
all respects as much prospered as they 
are in their spiritual concerns. 

3. For 1 rejoiced greatly when the 
brethren came. Who these were is 
not certainly known. They may have 
been members of the same church with 
Gaius, who, for some reason, had visited 



4 I have no greater joy h than 
to hear that my children walk in 
truth. 

a 2 Jno. 4. b Pr. 23. 24. 

the writer of this epistle ; or they may 
have been the « brethren' who had gone 
from him with a letter of commenda- 
tion to the church (ver. 9), and had 
been rejected by the church through the 
influence of Diotrephes, and who, after 
having been hospitably entertained 
by Gaius, had again returned to the 
writer of this epistle. In that case, 
they would, of course, bear honourable 
testimony to the kindness which they 
had received from Gaius, and to his 
Christian character. IT And testified 
of the truth that is in thee. That you 
adhere steadfastly to the truth, notwith- 
standing the fact that errors abound, 
and that there are many false teachers 
in the world. IT Even as thou walkest 
in the truth. Livest in accordance with 
the truth. The writer had made the 
same remark of the children of Cyria, 
to whom the second epistle was di- 
rected. See Notes on ver. 4 of that 
epistle. 

4. / have no greater joy than to 
hear that my children walk in truth* 
That they adhere steadfastly to the 
truth, and that they live in accordance 
with it. This is such language as 
would be used by an aged apostle when 
speaking of those who had been con- 
verted by his instrumentality, and who 
looked up to him as a father, and we 
may, therefore, infer that Gaius had 
been converted under the ministry of 
John, and that he was probably a much 
younger man than he was. John, the 
aged apostle, says that he had no higher 
happiness than to learn, respecting 
those who regarded him as their spirit- 
ual father, that they were steadfast in 
their adherence to the doctrines of reli- 
gion. The same thing may be said now 
(a) of all the ministers of the gospel, 
that their highest comfort is found in 
ike fact that those to whom they minis 



A. D. 90.] 

5 Beloved, thou dost a faith- 
fully whatsoever thou doest to 
the brethren and to strangers ; 

6 Which have borne witness 

a 1 Pe. 4. 10. 

ter, whether still under their care or 
removed from them, persevere in a stead- 
fast attachment to the true doctrines of 
religion, and live accordingly ; and (6) 
of all Christian parents respecting their 
own children. The highest joy that a 
Christian parent can have is to know 
that his children, whether at home or 
abroad, adhere to the truths of religion, 
and live in accordance with the require- 
ments of the gospel of Christ. If a 
child wished to confer the highest pos- 
sible happiness on his parents when 
with them, it would be by becoming a 
decided Christian; if, when abroad, in 
foreign lands or his own, he wished to 
convey intelligence to them that would 
most thrill their hearts with joy, it 
ivould be to announce to them that he 
had given his heart to God. There is 
no joy in a family like that when chil- 
dren are converted ; there is no news 
that comes from abroad that diffuses so 
much happiness through the domestic 
circle as the intelligence that a child is 
truly converted to the Saviour. There 
is nothing that would give more peace 
to the dying pillow of the Christian 
parent, than to be able to leave the 
world with the assurance that his chil- 
dren would always walk in truth. 

5. Beloved, thou doest faithfully. 
In the previous verses the writer had 
commended Gaius for his attachment 
to truth, and his general correctness in 
his Christian life. He now speaks 
more particularly of his acts of gener- 
ous hospitality, and says that he had 
fully, in that respect, done his duty as 
a Christian. IT Whatsoever thou doest. 
In all your intercourse with them, and 
in all your conduct towards them. The 
particular thing which led to this re- 
mark was his hospitality ; but the tes- 



III. JOHN. 



'423 



of thy charity before the church . 
whom if thou bring b forward on 
their journey 1 after a godly sort, 
thou shalt do well : 

b Ac. 15. 3. 1 worthy of God. 



timony respecting his general conduct 
had been such as to justify this com- 
mendation. IT To the brethren. Pro- 
bably to Christians who were well 
known to him — perhaps referring to 
Christians in his own church. IT And 
to strangers. Such as had gone to the 
church of which he was a member with 
a letter of commendation from John. 
Comp. Notes on Rom. xii. 13, and Heb 
xiii. 2. 

6. Which have borne witness of thy 
charity before the church. It would 
seem that they had returned to John, 
and borne honourable testimony to the 
love manifested to them by Gaius. 
Before what church they had borne this 
testimony is unknown. Perhaps it was 
the church in Ephesus. IT Whom if 
thou bring forward on their journey. 
6v$ 7ipo7tSfi7i6a^ — 1 Whom bringing for- 
ward, or having brought forward.' The 
word refers to aid rendered them in 
their journey, in facilitating their travels, 
either by personally accompanying 
them, by furnishing them the means of 
prosecuting their journey, or by hospita- 
bly entertaining them. Probably Gaius 
aided them in every way in which it 
was practicable. It has been made a 
question whether this refers to the fact 
that he had thus aided them in some 
visit which they had made to the church 
where Gaius was, or to a visit which 
they purposed to make. The Greek 
would seem to favour the latter con- 
struction, and yet it would appear from 
the epistle that the 1 brethren and 
strangers' actually had been with him , 
that they had been rejected by the 
church through the influence of Diotre- 
phes, and had been thrown upon the 
hospitality of Gaius, and that they had 
returned, and had borne honourable 



424 



III. JOHN. 



[A.D.90 



7 Because that for his name's 
sake they went forth, taking 3 
nothing of the Gentiles. 

a 1 Co. 9. 15, 18. 

testimony to his hospitality. These 
views can be reconciled by supposing, 
es Liicke does, that having been once 
on their travels, and having shared the 
hospitality of Gaius, they were pur- 
posing to visit that region again, and 
that John, praising him for his former 
hospitality, commends them again to 
him, stating the reason (vs. 9, 10) why 
he did not, in accordance with the 
usual custom, recommend them to the 
care of the church. They had now 
gone out (ver. 7) on the same errand 
on which they had formerly gone, and 
they had now equal claims to the hos- 
pitality of the friends of religion. 
IT After a godly sort, Marg., as in the 
Greek, worthy of God. The meaning 
is, As becomes those who serve God ; 
or as becomes those who are professors 
of his religion. IT Thou shalt do well. 
You will do that which religion re- 
quires in these circumstances. 

7. Because that for his name's sake. 
The word « his 1 here refers to God ; 
and the idea is that they had under- 
taken this journey not on their own 
account, but in the cause of religion. 
IT They went forth. Or, they have 
gone forth (tfjJaiW), referring to the 
journey which they had then under- 
taken ; not to the former one. IT Taking 
nothing of the Gentiles. The term 
Gentile embraced all who. were not 
Jews, and it is evident that these per- 
sons went forth particularly to labour 
among the heathen. When they went, 
they resolved, it seems, to receive no 
part of their support from them, but to 
depend on the aid of their Christian 
brethren, and hence they were at first 
commended to the church of which 
Gaius and Diotrephes were members, 
and on this second excursion were 
commended particularly to Gaius. 
Why they resolved to take nothing of 



8 We therefore ought to b re 
ceive such, that we might be fel 
low-helpers to the truth. 

b Mat. 10. 40. 

the Gentiles is not stated, but it was 
doubtless from prudential considerations, 
lest it should hinder their success 
among them, and expose them to the 
charge of being actuated by a merce- 
nary spirit. There were circumstances 
in the early propagation of Christianity 
which made it proper, in order to avoid 
this reproach, to preach the gospel 
f without charge,' though the doctrine 
is everywhere laid down in the Bible 
that it is the duty of those to whom it 
is preached to contribute to its mainte- 
nance, and that it is the right of 
those who preach to expect and re- 
ceive a support. On this subject, see 
Notes on 1 Cor. ix., particularly vs. 
15, 18. 

8. We therefore ought to receive 
such. All of us ought hospitably to 
entertain and aid such persons. The 
work in which they are engaged is one 
of pure benevolence. They have no 
selfish aims and ends in it. They do 
not even look for the supplies of their 
wants among the people to whom they 
go to minister, and we ought, therefore, 
to aid them in their work, and to con- 
tribute to their support. The apostle 
doubtless meant to urge this duty par- 
ticularly on Gaius, but in order to show 
that he recognized the obligation him- 
self, he uses the term < we/ and speaks 
of it as a duty binding on all Chris- 
tians. IT That we might be fellow- 
helpers to the truth. All Christians 
cannot go forth to preach the gospel, 
but all may contribute something to 
the support of those who do, and in 
this case they would have a joint par- 
ticipation in the work of spreading the 
truth. The same reasoning which was 
applicable to that case, is also applica 
ble now in regard to the duty of sup- 
porting those who go forth to preach 
the gospel to the destitute. 



A. D. 90.1 ■ in. J 

9 I wrote unto the church : 
but Diotrephes, who loveth to 

9. / wrote unto the church. That 
is, on the former occasion when they 
went forth. At that time, John natu- 
rally commended them to the kind atten- 
tions of the church, not doubting but 
that aid would be rendered them in 
prosecuting their benevolent work 
among the Gentiles. The epistle which 
was written on that occasion is now 
lost, and its contents cannot now be as- 
certained. It was, probably, however, 
a letter of mere commendation, perhaps 
stating the object which these brethren 
had in view, and soliciting the aid of 
the church. The Latin Vulgate ren- 
ders this, scripsissem forsian ecclesise, 
' 1 would have written, perhaps, to the 
church, but Diotrephes/ &c. Mac- 
knight also renders this, ' I would have 
written/ supposing the sense to be, 
that John would have commended them 
to the whole church rather than to a 
private member, if he had not been 
aware of the influence and opposition 
of Diotrephes. The Syriac version 
also adopts the same rendering. .Seve- 
ral manuscripts, also, of later date, in- 
troduced a particle (oU»), by which the 
same rendering would be demanded in 
the Greek, though that reading is not 
sustained by good authority. Against 
this mode of rendering the passage, the 
reasons seem to me to be clear: (1.) 
As already remarked, the reading in 
the Greek which would require it is not 
sustained by good authority. (2.) 
The fair and obvious interpretation of 
the Greek word used by the apostle 
(fypa4a), without that particle, is, / 
wrote — implying that it had been al- 
ready done. (3.) It is more probable 
that John had written to the church 
on some former occasion, and that 
his recommendation had been re- 
jected by the influence of Diotrephes, 
than that he would be deterred by 
the apprehension that his recommend- 
26* 



OHN. 425 

have the pre-eminence ° among 
them, receiveth us not. 

a Mat. 23. 4-8. 1 Ti. 6. 3, 4. 

ation would be rejected. It seems to 
me, therefore, that the fair interpre- 
tation of this passage is, that these 
brethren had gone forth on some 
former occasion, commended by John 
to the church, and had been rejected 
by the influence of Diotrephes, and 
that now he commends them to Gaius, 
by whom they had been formerly en- 
tertained, and asks him to renew his 
hospitality to them. IT But Diotrephes 
who loveth to have the pre-eminence 
among them, receiveth us not. Doe? 
not admit our authority, or would noi 
comply with any such recommendation r 
The idea is, that he rejected his inter- 
ference in the matter, and was not dis- 
posed to acknowledge him in any way. 
Of Diotrephes, nothing more is known 
than is here specified. Comp. the 
analysis of the epistle. Whether he 
were an officer in the church — a pastor, 
a ruling elder, a deacon, a vestry-man, 
a warden, or a private individual, we 
have no means of ascertaining. The 
presumption, from the phrase 1 who 
loveth to have the pre-eminence/ would 
rather seem to be that he was an aspir- 
ing man, arrogating rights which he 
had not, and assuming authority to 
which he was not entitled by virtue of 
any office. Still, he might have held 
an office, and might have arrogated 
authority, as many have done, beyond 
what properly belonged to it. The 
single word rendered < who loveth to 
have the pre-eminence' (^tortpcoT'svcoy), 
occurs nowhere else in the New Tes- 
tament. It means simply, who loves to 
be first — meaning that he loved to be 
at the head of all things, to rule, to 
lord it over others. It is clearly sup* 
posed here, that the church would have 
complied with the request of the writer 
if it had not been for this man. What 
were the alleged grounds for the course 
which he constrained the church to 



426 



III. JOHN. 



[A. D. 90 



10 Wherefore, if I come, I 
will remember his deeds which 

take, we are not informed ; the real 
ground, the apostle says, was his desire 
to rule. There may have been at the 
bottom of it some secret dislike of John, 
or some private grudge, but the alleged 
ground may have been, that the church 
was independent, and that it should 
reject all foreign interference ; or, that 
the church was unable to support 
those men ; or, that the work in which 
they were engaged was one of doubt- 
ful propriety. Whatever was the 
cause, the case furnishes an illustration 
of the bad influence of one ambitious 
and arrogant man in a church. It is 
often in the power of one such man to 
bring a whole church under his con- 
trol, and effectually to embarrass all its 
movements, and to prevent all the good 
which it would otherwise accomplish. 
When it is said, « but Diotrephes re- 
ceiveth us not,' the reference is doubt- 
lers to John, and the meaning is, either 
that he did not acknowledge him as an 
apostle, or that he did not recognise his 
right to interfere in the affairs of the 
church, or that he did not regard his re- 
commendation of these brethren. The 
first of these suppositions is hardly pro- 
bable ; but, though he may have ad- 
mitted that he was an apostle, there 
were perhaps some reasons operating 
in this particular case, why he prevailed 
on the church to reject those who had 
been thus commended to their hospi- 
tality. 

10. Wherefore, if 1 co me. He was 
evidently expecting soon to make a 
visit to Gaius, and to the church, ver. 
14. IT J will remember his deeds 
which he docth. That is, he would 
punish his arrogance and presump- 
tion ; would take measures that he 
should be dealt with in a proper manner. 
There is no evidence whatever that 
this is said in a vindictive or revenge- 
ful spirit, or that trie writer spoke of it 
merely as a personal matter. From 



he doeth, a prating against u& 

a Pr. 10. 8, 10. 

any thing that can be shown to the 
contrary, if it had been a private and 
personal affair merely, the matter might 
have been dropped, and never referred 
to again. But, what had been done 
was public. It pertained to the au- 
thority of the apostle, the duty of the 
church, and the character of the breth 
ren who had been commended to them , 
If the letter was written, as is supposed, 
by the aged John, and his authority 
had been utterly rejected by the influ- 
ence of this one man, then it was pro- 
per that that authority should be as- 
serted. If it was the duty of the church 
to have received these men, who had 
been thus recommended to them, and 
it had been prevented from doing what 
it would otherwise have done, oy the 
influence of one man, then it was 
proper that the influence of that man 
should be restrained, and that the 
church should see that he was not to 
control it. If the feelings and the cha- 
racter of these brethren had been in- 
jured by being rudely thrust out of the 
church, and held up as unworthy ot 
public confidence, then it was propel 
that their character should be vindicated 
and that the author of the wrong 
should be dealt with in a suitable man« 
ner. No one can show that this was 
not all that the apostle proposed to do, 
or that any feelings of private vindic* 
tiveness entered into his purpose to 
< remember' what Diotrephes had done; 
and the existence of any such feelings 
should not be charged on the apostle 
without proof. There is no more rea- 
son to suppose this in his case than 
there was in the case of Paul, in ad- 
ministering discipline in the church of 
Corinth (1 Cor. v. 3 — 5), or than there 
is in any instance of administering 
discipline now. IT Prating against us. 
The word prate ($A,vap£co)» occurring 
nowhere else in the New Testament, 
means « to overflow with talk* ($>?uo. 



A. D. 90.] 



III. JOHN. 



42? 



with malicious words : and not 
content therewith, neither doth 
he himself receive the brethren, 
and forbiddeth them that would, 



Lat., fluo, flow) ; to talk much without 
weight, or to little purpose ; to be loqua- 
cious ; to trifle ; or, to use an expres- 
sion common among us, and which 
accords well with the Greek, to run on 
in talk, without connection or sense. 
The word does not properly imply that 
there was malignity or ill-feeling in 
what was said, but that the talk was 
of an idle, foolish, and unprofitable 
character. As John here, however, 
specifies that there was a bad spirit in 
the manner in which Diotrephes ex- 
pressed himself, the real thing which 
is implied in the use of the word here, 
is, that there was much talk of that 
kind ; that he was addicted to this 
habit of running on against the apos- 
tle ; and that he was thus constantly 
undermining his influence, and injuring 
his character. 1 With malicious words. 
Gr., < evil words ;' words that were 
fitted to do injury. IT And not content 
therewith. Not satisfied with venting 
his private feelings in talk. Some per- 
sons seem to be satisfied with merely 
talking against others, and take no 
other measures to injure them; but 
Diotrephes was not. He himself re- 
jected the brethren, and persuaded the 
church to do the same thing. Bad as 
evil talking is, and troublesome as a 
man may be who is always « prating' 
about matters that do not go according 
to his mind, yet it would be compara- 
tively well if things always ended with 
that, and if the loquacious and the dis- 
satisfied never took measures openly to 
wrong others. H Neither doth he him- 
self receive the brethren. Does not 
himself treat them as Christian breth- 
ren, or with the hospitality which is 
due to them. He had not done it on 
tfie former visit, and John evidently 
'upposed that the same thin# would 



and casteth them out ° of the 
church. 

11 Beloved, follow b not that 

a Is. G6. 5. b Ps. 37. 27. 

occur again. ^ And forbiddeth them 
that would. From this it is clear that 
there were those in the church who 
were disposed to receive them in a pro- 
per manner, and from any thing that 
appears, the church, as such, would 
have been inclined to do it, if it had 
not been for the influence of this one 
man. IT And- casteth them out of the 
church. Comp. Luke vi. 22. It has 
been made a question whether the re- 
ference here is to the members of the 
church who were disposed to receive 
these brethren, or to the brethren them- 
selves. Lucke, Macknight, and some 
others, suppose that it refers to those in 
the church who were willing to receive 
them, and whom Diotrephes had ex- 
communicated on that account. Heu- 
mann, Carpzoviius, Rosenmuller, 
Bloomfield, and others, suppose that it 
refers to these strangers, and that the 
meaning is. that Diotrephes would not 
receive them into the society of Chris- 
tians, and thus compelled them to go 
to another place. That this latter is 
the correct interpretation, seems to me 
to be evident, for it was of the treat- 
ment which they had received that the 
apostle was speaking. 

11. Beloved, follow not that which 
is evil, but that which is good. There 
can be no doubt that in this exhorta- 
tion the writer had Diotrephes particu- 
larly in his eye, and that he means to 
exhort Gaius not to imitate his example. 
He was a man of influence in the 
church, and though Gaius had shown 
that he was disposed to act in an inde- 
pendent manner, yet it was not impro- 
per to exhort him not to be influenced 
by the example of any one who did 
wrong. John wished to excite him to 
acts of liberal and generous hospitality. 
*[ He that doeth good is of God. He 



428 

which is evil, but that which is 
good. He a that doeth good is 
of God : but he that doeth evil 
hath not seen God. 

12 Demetrius hath good re- 
port of all men, and of the truth 
itself : yea, and we also bear re- 
cord ; and ye know that our re- 
cord is true. 

shows that he resembles God, for God 
continually does good. See the senti- 
ment explained in the Notes on 1 John 
iii. 7. IT He that doeth evil hath not 
seen God. See Notes on 1 John iii. 
8—10. 

12. Demetrius hath good report of 
all men. Little is known of Deme- 
trius. Liicke supposes that he resided 
near the place where the author of this 
epistle lived, and was connected with 
the church there, and was probably the 
bearer of this epistle. It is impossible 
to determine with certainty on this 
point, but there is one circumstance 
which seems to make it probable 
that he was a member of the same 
church with Gaius, and had united with 
him in showing Christian hospitality to 
these strangers. It is the use of the 
phrase * hath good report of all,' im- 
plying that some testimony was borne 
to his character beyond what the writer 
personally knew. It is possible, in- 
deed, that the writer would have used 
this term respecting him if he lived in 
the same place with himself, as express- 
ing the fact that he bore a good charac- 
ter, but it is a phrase which would be 
more appropriately used if we suppose 
that he was a member of the same 
church with Gaius, and that John 
means to say that an honourable testi- 
mony was borne o f his character by all 
those brethren, and by all others as far 
as he knew. If And of the truth itself. 
Not only by men, who might possibly 
be deceived in the estimate of character, 
but by fact. It was not merely a repu- 
tation founded on what appeared in his 



[A. D. 9d 

13 I had many things to write 
but I will not with ink and pen 
write unto thee : 

14 But I trust I shall shortly 
see thee, and we fhall speak 1 
face to face. Peace be to thee. 
Our friends salute thee. Greet 
the friends by name. 

a 1 Jno. 3. 6-9. i mouth to mouth, 

conduct, but in truth and reality. His 
deportment, his life, his deeds of bene- 
volence, all concurred with the testimony 
which was borne by men to the excel- 
lency of his character. There is, per- 
haps, particular reference here to his 
kind and hospitable treatment of those 
brethren. % Yea, and we also bear re- 
cord. John himself had personally 
known him. He had evidently visited 
the place where he resided on some 
former occasion, and could now add his 
own testimony, which no one would 
call in question, to his excellent char- 
acter. \ And ye know that our record 
is true. This is in the manner of John, 
who always spoke of himself as having 
such a character for truth that no one 
who knew him would call it in ques- 
tion. Every Christian should have 
such a character ; every man might if 
he would. Comp. Notes on John xix. 
35 ; xxi. 24. 

13. / had many things to write, 
&c. This epistle closes, as the se- 
cond does, with a statement that he 
had many things to say, but that 
he preferred waiting till he should 
see him rather than put them on paper. 
Perhaps there were some things which 
he wished to say which he would not 
like to have exposed to the possi- 
bility of being seen by the public eye» 
IT But I will not with ink and pen f 
&c. Notes on the Second Epistle, ver 
12. 

14. But 1 trust I shall shortly see 
thee, &c. Notes on the Second Epistlg, 
ver. 12. IT Our friends salute thee. That 
is, your friends and mine. This would 



III. JOHN. 



A. D. 90. j 



III. JOHN. 



429 



ueem rather to refer to private friends 
of John and Gaius than to Christians 
as such. They had, doubtless, their 
warm personal friends in both places. 

Greet the friends by name. That is, 
each one individually. He remembered 
them as individuals, but did not deem 
it proper to specify them. 

PRACTICAL REMARKS ON THE EPISTLE. 

1. It is proper to desire for our friends 
all temporal good ; to wish their happi- 
ness in every respect, ver. 2. The 
welfare of the soul is indeed the great 
object, and the first desire in regard to 
a friend should be that his salvation 
may be secured ; but in connection 
with that we may properly wish them 
health of body, and success in their 
lawful undertakings. It is not common 
that in their spiritual interests they are 
so much more prosperous than they are 
in other respects that we can make that 
the standard of our wishes in regard to 
them, but it sometimes does occur, as in 
the case of Gaius. In such cases we 
may indeed rejoice with a friend, and 
feel that all will be well with him. But 
in how few cases, even among professed 
Christians, can we with propriety make 
the prosperity of the soul the standard 
by which to measure the happiness 
which we desire for them in other re- 
spects ! " What a curse would this 
bring upon many to wish that they 
might prosper even as their souls pros- 
pered !" Doddridge. Of how much 
property would they at once be de- 
prived ; how embarrassed would be 
their affairs ; how pale, and wan, and 
sickly would they be, if they should be 
in all respects as they are in their spir- 
itual interests ! 

2. It is an unspeakable pleasure to a 
Christian to learn that his friends are 
living and acting as becomes sincere 
Christians; that they love what is true, 
and abound in the duties of hospitality, 
charity, and benevolence, vs. 3 — 6. 
When a friend learns this of a distant 
fnend ; when a pastor learns this of his 



people from whom he may be tor a 

time separated ; when those who have 
been instrumental in converting others 
learn this of their spiritual children ; 
when a parent learns it of a son or 
daughter separated from him ; when a 
teacher learns it of those who were for- 
merly under his care, there is no joy 
that goes more directly to the heart 
than this; nothing that fills the soul 
with more true thankfulness and peace. 

3. It is the duty and the privilege of 
those who love the cause of religion to 
go and preach the gospel to those who 
are destitute, expecting to receive no- 
thing from them, and doing it as a 
work of pure benevolence, ver. 7. The 
missionary spirit existed early in the 
Christian church, and indeed may be 
regarded as the prevailing spirit in 
those times. It has always been the 
prevailing spirit when religion has 
flourished in the church. At such 
times there have been many who were 
willing to leave their own quiet 
homes, and the religious privileges con- 
nected with a well-organized church, 
and to break away from the ties which 
bind to country and kindred, and to go 
among a distant people to publish sal 
vation. In this cause, and with this 
spirit, the apostles spent their lives. In 
this cause, the < brethren' referred to by 
John went forth to labour. In this 
cause, thousands have laboured in for- 
mer times, and to the fact that they 
were willing to do it is to be traced 
all the happy influence of religion in 
the world. Our own religious privi- 
leges now we owe to the fact that in 
former times there were those who 
were willing to * go forth taking no- 
thing of the Gentiles/ devoting them- 
selves, without hope of reward or fame, 
to the business of making known the 
name of the Saviour in what were then 
the dark places of the earth. The 
same principle is acted on now in Chris- 
tian missions, and with the same pro- 
priety ; and as we in Christian land? 
owe the blessings which we enjoy to 



430 



III. JOHN. 



[A. D. 9a 



the fact that in former times there were 
those who were willing thus to go forth, 
so it will be true that the richest bless- 
ings which are to descend on India, 
and Africa, and the islands of the sea, 
will be traced in future times to the 
fact that there are in our age those 
who are willing to follow the example 
of the apostles in going forth to do 
good to a dying world. 

4. It is our duty to contribute to 
the support of those who thus go 
among the heathen, and to aid them 
in every way in which we can promote 
the object which they have in view. So 
John felt it to be the duty of the church 
in regard to those who went forth in 
his time ; and so, when the church, 
under the influence of Diotrephes, had 
refused to do it, he commended Gaius 
for performing that duty. vs. 6, 8. Now, 
as then, from the nature of the case, 
missionaries to the heathen must go 
« taking nothing' of those among whom 
they labour, and expecting that, for a 
long time at least, they will do nothing 
for their support. They go as strangers. 
They go to those who do not believe 
the truth of the gospel; who are at- 
tached to their own superstitions; who 
contribute largely to the support of their 
own temples, and altars, and priest- 
hood ; who are, as yet, incapable of 
appreciating the value of a purer reli- 
gion ; who have no desire for it, and 
who are disposed to reject it. In 
many cases the heathen to whom the 
missionary goes are miserably poor, 
and it is only this religion, which 
as yet they are not disposed to re- 
ceive, that can elevate them to habits 
of industry, and furnish them with the 
means of supporting religious teachers 
from abroad. Under these circum- 
stances, no duty is more obvious than 
that of contributing to the support of 
those who go to such places as Chris- 
tian missionaries. If the churches 
value the gospel enough to send their 
brethren among the heathen to propa- 
gate it, they should value it enough to 



minister to their wants when there ; if 
they regard it as the duty of any of 
their number to leave their comfortabla 
homes in a Christian land in order to 
preach to the heathen, they should feel 
that those who go make far greater sac- 
rifices than those who contribute to 
their support. They give up all ; we 
give only the small sum, not diminish 
ing our own comforts, which is needful 
to sustain them. 

5. For the same reason it is oui 
duty to contribute to the support of 
missionaries in the destitute places of 
our own land. ver. 8. They often go 
among a people who are as destitute, 
and who will as little appreciate the 
gospel, and who are as much prejudiced 
against it, and who are as poor, as the 
heathen. They are as likely to be 
charged with being actuated by merce- 
nary motives, if they ask for support, 
as missionaries among the heathen are. 
They often go among people as little 
able and disposed to build churches and 
school-houses, as the heathen are. No- 
thing is more obvious, therefore, than 
that those who have the gospel, and 
who have learned to prize and value it 
in some measure as it should be, should 
contribute to the support of those who 
go to convey its blessings to others, 
until those to whom they go shall so 
learn to prize it as to be able and will- 
ing to maintain it. That, under a 
faithful ministry, and with the divine 
blessing, will not be long, for the gospel 
always, when it secures a hold in a 
community, makes men feel that it con- 
fers infinitely more blessings than it 
takes away, and that, even in a pecu- 
niary point of view, it contributes more 
by far than it takes. What community 
is more prospered, or is more rich in all 
that promotes the temporal welfare of 
man, than that where the gospel has 
the most decided influence / 

6. We may see from this epistle that 
churches ought to be united in promot- 
ing the cause of religion, vs. 8, 9. 
They should regard it as a common 



4. D. 90.] 

cause in which one has as much con- 
cern as another, and where each should 
feel it a privilege to co-operate with 
his brethren. One church, in propor- 
tion to its ability, has as much interest 
sn the spread of Christianity as another, 
and should feel that it has much respon- 
sibility in doing it. Between different 
churches there should be that measure 
of confidence and love that they will 
deem it a privilege to aid each other in 
the common cause, and that one shall 
De ready to further the benevolent de- 
signs undertaken by another. In every 
Christian land, and among the people 
of every Christian denomination, mis- 
sionaries of the gospel should find 
friends who will be willing to co-operate 
with them in advancing the common 
cause, and who, though they may bear 
a different name, and may speak a dif- 
ferent language, should cheerfully lend 
their aid in spreading the common 
Christianity. 

7. We may see, from this epistle, 
the evil of having one troublesome man 
in the church, ver, 10. Such a man, 
by his talents, his address, his supe- 
rior learning, his wealth ; or, by his 
arrogance, pride, and self-confidence, 
may control a church, and effectually 
hinder its promoting the work of reli- 
gion. The church referred to by the 
apostle would have done its duty well 
enough, if it had not been for one am- 
bitious and worldly man. No one can 
properly estimate the evil which one 
such man can do, nor the calamity 
which comes upon a church when such 
a man places himself at its head. 
As a man of wealth, of talents, and of 
learning may do great good, if his heart 
is right, so may a man similarly en- 
dowed do proportionate evil if his heart 
is wicked. Yet how often has the 
spirit which actuated Diotrephes pre- 
vailed in the church ! There is no- 
thing that confers so much power on 
men as the control in religious matters ; 
and hence, in all ages, proud and am- 



431 

bitious men have sought dominion over 
the conscience, and have sought to 
bring the sentiments of men on religion 
to subjection to their will. 

8. There may be circumstances 
where it is proper — where it is a duty — 
to receive those who have been cast 
out of the church, ver. 8. The deci- 
sions of a church, under some proud 
and ambitious partisan leader, are often 
eminently unjust and harsh. The 
most modest, humble, devoted, and 
zealous men, under a charge of heresy, 
or of some slight aberration from the 
formulas of doctrine, may be cast out 
as unworthy to be recognized as min- 
isters of the gospel, or even as unwor- 
thy to have a place at the table of the 
Lord. Some of the best men on 
earth have been thus disowned by the 
church, and it is no certain evidence 
against a man when he is denounced as 
a heretic, or disowned as a member, by 
those who bear the Christian name. 
If ive are satisfied that a man is a 
Christian, we should receive him as 
such, however he may be regarded by 
others ; nor should we hesitate to help 
him forward in his Christian course, 
or in any way to assist him to do good. 

9. Finally, let us learn from the ex- 
amples commended in this brief epistle, 
to do good. Let us follow the exam- 
ple of Gains, — the hospitable Christian ; 
the large-hearted philanthropist; the 
friend of the stranger ; the helper of 
them who were engaged in the cause 
of the Lord — a man who opened his 
heart and his house to welcome them 
when driven out and disowned by 
others. Let us imitate Demetrius, in 
obtaining a good report of those who 
know us ; in so living that, if the aged 
apostle John were still on earth, we 
might be worthy of his commendation, 
and more than all, of the approbation 
of that gracious Saviour before whom 
these good men have long since gone, 
and in whose presence we, also, must 
soon appear. 



III. JOHN. 



GENERAL EPISTLE OF JUDE. 



INTRODUCTION. 



§ 1. The Author of this Epistle, 

hit r^fc is known of the author of this brief epistle. He styles himself (ver. 
O * vXe bervant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James but there has been 
eoine (ji^oi^ice of opinion as to what James is meant. He does not call him- 
»e3f an apobite, but supposes that the terms which he uses would sufficiently 
identify him, and would be a sufficient reason for his addressing his brethren in 
the manner in which he does in this epistle. There were two of the name of 
James among the apostles (Luke vi. 14, 15) ; and it has been made a question 
of which of them he was the brother. There were also two of the name of 
Judas, or Jude ; but there is no difficulty in determining which of them was the 
author of this epistle, for the other had the surname of Iscariot, and was the 
traitor. In the catalogue of the apostles given by Matthew (ch. x. 3), the tenth 
place is given to an apostle who is there called " Lebbeus, whose surname was 
Thaddeus /' and as this name does not occur in the list given by Luke (ch. vi. 
15), and as the tenth place in the catalogue is occupied by " Simon, called 
Zelotes and as he afterwards mentions " Judas the brother of James," it is 
supposed that Lebbeus and Judas were the same persons. It was not uncom- 
mon for persons to have two or rnoie names. Comp. Robinson's Harmony of the 
Gospels, § 40 ; Bacon's Lives of the Apostles, p. 437 ; and Michaelis, Intro, 
iv., 365. 

The title which he assumes, <• brother of James," was evidently chosen be- 
cause the James referred to was well-known, and because the fact that he wae 
his brother would be a sufficient designation of himself, and of his right to 
address Christians in this manner.. The name of the elder James, who was 
slain by Herod (Acts xii. 2), can. hardly be supposed to be referred to, as he 
had been dead some time when this epistle is supposed to have been written ; 
ind as that James was the brother of John, who was then living, it wouId % have 
)een much more natural for him to have mentioned that he was the brother of 
that beloved disciple. The other James — 'James the Less/ or * James the Just/ 
was still living ; was a prominent man in Jerusalem ; and was besides kno^wn 
as < the. brother of the Lord Jesus / and the fact of relationship to that James 
would sufficiently designate the writer. There can be little doubt, therefore, 
tbat this is the James here intended. In regard to his character and influence, 
(ccccxxxii) 



INTRODUCTION. 



ccccxxxin 



see Intro, to the Epistle of James, § 1. If the author of this epistle was the 
brother of that James, it was sufficient to refer to that fact, without mentioning 
that he was an apostle, in order to give to his epistle authority, and to settle its 
canonical character. 

Of Jude little is known. His name is found in the list of the apostles, but 
besides that, it is but once mentioned in the Evangelists. The only thing that 
is preserved of him in the Gospels, is a question which he put to the Saviour, 
on the eve of his crucifixion. The Saviour had said, in his parting address to 
his disciples, " He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that 
loveth me ; and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father ; and I will love 
him, and will manifest myself unto him." In regard to the meaning of this 
remark, Judas is said to have asked the following question : " Lord, how is it 
that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world V 9 John siv. 
21, 22. To this question the Saviour gave a kind and satisfactory answer, and 
that *s the last that is said of him in the Evangelists. 

Of his subsequent life we know little. In Acts xv. 22, he is mentioned as 
surnamed 4 Barsabas,' and as being sent with Paul and Barnabas and Silas to 
Antioch. Paulinus says that he preached in Lybia, and that his body remained 
there. Jerome affirms, that after the ascension he was sent to Edessa, to king 
Abgarus ; and the modern Greeks say that he preached in that city, and through- 
out Mesopotamia, and in Judea, Samaria, Idumea, Syria, and principally in 
Armenia and Persia. Cal. Die. Nothing certainly can be known in reference 
to the field of his labours, or to the place and circumstances of his death. On 
the question, whether the Thaddeus who first preached the gospel in Syria was 
the same person as Jude, see Michalis, Intro, iv., 367 — 371. 

§ 2, Authenticity of the Epistle. 
If the epistle was written by the apostle Jude, the brother of James, and of 
our Lord, there can be no doubt of its canonical authority, and its claim to a 
place in the New Testament. It is true, that he does not call himself an 
apostle, but simply mentions himself as « a servant of Jesus Christ, and a 
brother of James.' By this appellation, however, he has practically made it 
known that he was one of the apostles, for all who had a catalogue of the apos- 
tles would know * that Judas, the brother of James' was one of them. At the 
same time, as the relation of James to our Lord was well understood (Gal. i. 19), 
his authority would be recognised as soon as he was known to be the author of 
the epistle. It may be asked, indeed, if he was an apostle, why he did not call 
himself such ; and why did he not seek to give authority and currency to his 
epistle, by adverting to the fact that he was the « Lord's brother.' To the first 
of these questions, it may be replied, that, to have called himself 4 Judas, the 
apostle,' would not have designated him so certainly, as to call himself « the 
brother of James;' and besides, the naked title, « Judas, the apostle,' was one 
which he might not choose to see applied to himself. After the act of the trai- 
tor, and the reproach which he had brought upon that name, it is probable that 
he would prefer to designate himself by some other appellation, than one which 
had such associations connected with it. It may be added, also, that in several 
of his epistles Paul himself does not make use of the name apostle. Phil. i. 1. 
1 Thess. L I, 2 Thess. i. I. Philem. 1. To the second question, it may be 
replied, that modesty may have kept hira from applying to himself the title, the 
'Lord's brother.' Even James never uses it of himself, and we only know 
that he sustained this relation, from an incidental remark of the apostle Paul 



CCCCXXX1V 



INTRODUCTION. 



Gal. i. 19. Great honour would be attached to that relationship, and it is pos- 
sible that the reason why it was not referred to by Jame* and Jude, was an ap 
prehension that it might produce jealousy, as if they claimed some special pre- 
eminence over their brethren. 

For the evidence of the canonical authority of this epistle, the reader ia 
referred to Lardner, vol. vi., pp. 304 — 313, and to Michselis, Intro, vol. iv., p. 374, 
seq. Michselis, chiefly on the internal evidence, supposes that it is not an in 
spired production. There were, indeed, at first, doubts about its being inspired, 
as there were respecting the epistle of James, and the second epistle of Peter, 
but Chose doubts were ultimately removed, and it was received as a canonical 
epistle. Clemens of Alexandria cites the epistle under Jude's name, as the 
production of a prophetic mind. Origen calls it a production full of heavenly 
grace. Eusebius says that his predecessors were divided in opinion respecting 
it, and that it was not ranked among the universally-acknowledged writings. 
It was not universally received among the Syrians, and is not found in the Pes- 
chito, the oldest Syriac version of the Scriptures. In the time of Jerome, how- 
ever, it came to be ranked among the other sacred Scriptures as of divine au- 
thority. Hug, Intro., § 180. 

The principal ground of doubt in regard to the canonical authority of the 
epistle, arose from the supposed fact that the author has quoted two apocryphal 
writings, vs. 9, 14. The consideration of this objection will be more appropri- 
ate in the Notes on those verses, for it obviously depends much on the true 
interpretation of these passages. I shall, therefore, reserve what I have to say 
on that point to the exposition of those verses. Those who are disposed to 
examine it at length, may consult Hug, Intro., § 183; Lardner, vi. 309 — 314, 
and Michselis, Intro, iv., 378, seq. 

§ 3. The question when the Epistle was written, to whom, and its design. 

Nothing can be determined with entire certainty in regard to the persons to 
whom this epistle was written. Witsius supposed that it was addressed to 
Christians every where ; Hammond, that it was addressed to Jewish Christians 
alone, who were scattered abroad, and that its design was to secure them against 
the errors of the Gnostics ; Benson, that it was directed to Jewish believers, 
especially to those of the western dispersion ; Lardner, that it was written to all, 
without distinction, who had embraced the gospel. The principal argument for 
supposing that it was addressed to Jewish converts is, that the apostle refers 
mainly for proof to Jewish writings, but this might be sufficiently accounted for 
by the fact that the writer himself was of Hebrew origin. 

The only way of determining any thing on this point is from the epistle 
itself. The inscription is, " To them that are sanctified by God the Father, 
and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called." ver. 1. From this it would appeal 
evident that he had no particular classes of Christians in his eye, whether of 
Jewish or Gentile origin, but that he designed the epistle for the general use of 
ail who had embraced the Christian religion. The errors which he combats in 
the epistle were evidently wide-spread, and were of such a nature that it was 
proper to warn all Christians against them. They might, it is true, be more 
prevalent in some quarters than in others, but still they were so common that 
Christians every where should be put on their guard against them 

The design for which Jude wrote the epistle he has himself stated, ver. 3. It 
was with reference to the < common salvation' — the doctrines pertaining to sal- 
vation which were held by all Christians, and to show them the reasons for 



INTRODUCTION. 



CCCCXXX? 



contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints/ That faith waa 
assailed. There were teachers of error abroad. They were insinuating and 
artful men — men who had crept in unawares, and who, while they professed to 
hold the Christian doctrine, were really undermining its faith, and spreading 
corruption through the church. The purpose, therefore, of the epistle is to put 
those to whom it was written on their guard against the corrupt teachings of 
these men, and to encourage them to stand up manfully for the great principles 
of Christian truth. 

Who these errorists were, it is not easy now to determine. The leading 
charge against them, both by Jude and Peter (2 Peter ii. 1), is, that they denied 
our Lord (ver. 4), and yet it is said that they were numbered among Christians 
and were found in their assemblies. 2 Peter ii. 13. Jude, ver. 12. By this 
denial, however, we are not to suppose that they literally and professedly denied 
that Jesus was the Christ, but that they held doctrines which amounted to a 
denial of him in fact. Comp. Notes on 2 Pet. ii. 1. For the general character- 
istics of these teachers, see Intro, to 2 Peter, § 4. 

At this distance of time, and with our imperfect knowledge of the character 
istics of the early erroneous sects in the church, it is difficult to determine pre- 
cisely who they were. It has been a common opinion, that reference is had by 
Peter and Jude to the sect of the Nicolaitanes ; and this opinion, Hug remarks, 
is "neither improbable nor incompatible with the expressions of the two apos- 
tleSj so far as we have any certain knowledge concerning this sect." " The 
statements of the ancients, in regard to their profligacy and their detestable 
course of life, are so consonant with each other and with the charges of the 
apostles, that the two epistles may be pertinently considered as referring to 
them.' , Intro., § 182. 

It is not possible to ascertain with certainty the time when the epistle was 
written. There are no marks of time in it by which that can be known, 
nor is there any account among the early Christian writers which determines 
this. Benson supposes that it was written before the destruction of Jerusalem, 
a few weeks or months after the second epistle of Peter ; Mill, that it was 
written about A. D. 90 ; Bodwell and Cave that it was written after the de- 
struction of Jerusalem, in the year 71 or 72; L'Enfant and Beausobre that it 
was between the year 70 and 75 ; Witsius and Estius that it was in the apos- 
tle's old age; Lardner that it was about the year 65, or 66; Michaelis that it 
was before the destruction of Jerusalem ; and Macknight that it was in the 
latter part of the apostolic age, and not long before the death of Jude. All this, 
it is manifest, is mostly conjecture. There are only two things, it seems to me, 
in the epistle, which can be regarded as any indication of the time. One is, 
the striking resemblance to the second epistle of Peter, referring clearly to the 
same kind of errors, and warning those whom he addressed against the arts of 
the same kind of teachers, thus showing that it was written at about the same 
time as that epistle; and the other is, that it seems to have been written before 
the destruction of Jerusalem, for, as Michcelis has well remarked, " As the au 
thor has mentioned, vs. 5 — 8, several well-known instances of divine justice in 
punishing sinners, he would probably, if Jerusalem had been already destroyed, 
not have neglected to add to his other examples this most remarkable instance 
of divine vengeance, especially as Christ had himself foretold it." Intro, iv. 
372. As there is reason to suppose that the second epistle of Peter was written 
about A. D. 64, or 65 (Intro, to 2 Peter, § 2), we shall not, probably, err in 
supposing that this was written not far from that time. 



ccccxxxvi 



INTRODUCTION. 



§ 4. The resemblance between this Epistle and the second chapter of the 
Second Epistle of Peter, 

One of the most remarkable things respecting this epistle, is its resemblance 
to the second chapter of the second epistle of Peter — a similarity so striking as 
to make it quite certain that one of these writers had seen the epistle of the 
other, and copied from it ; or rather, perhaps, adopted the language of the other 
as expressing his own views. It is evident, that substantially the same class of 
teachers is referred to by both ; that they held the same errors, and were guilty 
of the same corrupt and dangerous practices ; and that the two apostles, in 
describing them, made use of the same expressions, and employed the same 
arguments against them. They refer to the same facts in history, and to the 
same arguments from tradition, and if either of them quoted an apocryphal book, 
both have done it. On the resemblance, compare the following places :— Jude 
8, with 2 Pet. ii. 10 ; Jude 10, with 2 Pet. ii. 12 ; Jude 16, with 2 Pet. ii. 18 ; 
Jude 4, with 2 Pet. i. 2, 3 ; Jude 7, with 2 Pet. ii. 6 ; Jude 9, with 2 Pet. ii. 
11. The similarity between the two is so striking, both in the general structure 
of the argument, and in the particular expressions, that it cannot have been 
accidental. It is not such a resemblance as would be likely to occur in two 
authors, if they had been writing in a wholly independent manner. In regard 
to this resemblance, there is but one of three ways in which it can be accounted 
for; either that the Holy Spirit inspired both of them to say the same thing, 
without the one having any knowledge of what the other said ; or that they 
both copied from a common document, which is now lost ; or that one copied 
from the other. 

As to the first of these solutions, that the Holy Spirit inspired them both to 
say the same thing, it may be observed that no one can deny that this is possi- 
ble, but is by no means probable. No other instance of the kind occurs in the 
Bible, and the supposition would not be in accordance with what seems to hav8 
been a law in inspiration, that the sacred writers were allowed to express 
themselves according to the bent of their own genius. Comp, Notes on 1 Cor. 
xiv. 32. 

As to the second of these suppositions, that they both copied from a common 
document, which is now lost, it may be observed, that this is wholly without 
evidence. That such a thing was possible, there can be no doubt, but the sup-, 
position should not be adopted without necessity. If there had been such an 
original inspired document, it would probably have been preserved ; or there 
would have been, in one or both of those who copied from it, some such allusion 
to it that it would have been possible to verify the supposition. 

The remaining way of accounting for the resemblance, therefore, is to sup- 
pose that one of them had seen the epistle of the other, and adopted the same 
line of argument, and many of the same expressions. This will account for all 
the facts in the case, and can be supposed to be true without doing violence to 
any just view of their inspiration. A question still arises, however, whether 
Peter or Jude is the original writer from which the other has copied. This 
question it is impossible to determine with certainty, and it is of little impor- 
tance. If the common opinion which is stated above be correct, that Peter 
wrote his epistle "first, of course that determines the matter. But that is not 
absolutely certain, nor is there any method by which it can be determined. 
Hug adopts the other opinion, and supposes that Jude was the original writer. 
His reasons for this opinion are substantially these : (1.) That there is little 



INTRODUCTION. 



CCCCXXXVIV 



probability that Jude, in so brief an epistle as his, consisting of only twenty- 
five verses, would have made use of foreign aid. (2.) That the style and phra- 
seology of Jude is simple, unlaboured, and without ornament; while that of 
Peter is artificial, and wears the appearance of embellishment and amplification; 
that the simple language of Jude seems to have been moulded by Peter into a 
more elegant form, and is embellished with participles, and even with rhetorical 
flourishes. (2.) That there is allusion in both epistles (2 Pet. ii. 1] ; Jude 9) 
to a controversy between angels and fallen spirits ; but that it is so alluded to 
by Peter, that it would not be understood without the more full statement of 
Jude ; and that Peter evidently supposed that the letter of Jude was in the 
hands of those to whom he wrote, and that thus the allusion would be at once 
understood. It could not be supposed that every reader would be acquainted 
with the fact alluded to by Peter ; it was not stated in the sacred books of the 
Jews, and it seems probable that there must have been some book to which 
they had access, where the information was more full. Jude, however, as the 
original writer, stated it more at length, and having done this, a bare allusion 
to it by Peter was all that was necessary. Jude states the matter definitely, and 
expressly mentions the dispute of Michael with the devil about the body of 
Moses. But the language of Peter is so general and indefinite, that we could 
not know what he meant unless we had Jude in our possession. See Hug's 
Intro., § 176. It must be admitted that these considerations have much weight, 
though they are not absolutely conclusive. It should be added, that whichever 
supposition is adopted, the fact that one has expressed substantially the same 
sentiments as the other, and in nearly the same language, is no reason for 
rejecting either, any more than the coincidence between the gospels, is a reason 
for concluding that only one of them can be an inspired document. There 
might have been good reasons why the same warnings and counsels should 
haTe proceeded from two inspired mm* 



THE 



GENERAL EPISTLE OF JTJDE. 



JUDE, * the servant of Jesus 
Christ, and brother of James, 
to them that are sanctified b by 



ANALYSIS OP THE EPISTLE. 

(1.) The inscription, and salutation, 
vs. I, 2. (2.) A statement of the rea- 
sons why the epistle was written, vs. 
S, 4. The author felt it to be neces- 
sary to write to them, because certain 
plausible errorists had crept in among 
them, and there was danger that their 
faith would be subverted. (3.) A re- 
ference to past facts, showing that men 
who embraced error, and who followed 
corrupt and licentious practices, would 
be punished, vs. 5 — 7. He refers par- 
ticularly to the unbelieving Hebrews 
whom God had delivered out of Egypt; 
to the apostate angels ; and to the cor- 
rupt inhabitants of Sodom and Gomor- 
rah. The object in this is to warn 
them from following the examples of 
those who would certainly lead them 
l\$ destruction. (4.) He describes par- 
ticularly the characteristics of these 
persons, agreeing substantially in the 
description with the statement of Peter, 
vs. 8 — 16. For these characteristics, 
comp. Intro, to 2 Peter, § 4. In gen- 
eral, they were corrupt, sensual, lewd, 
proud, arrogant, disorganizing, cove- 
tous, murmurers, complainers, wordy, 
windy, spots in their feasts of love. 
They had been and were professors of 
religion; they were professed reform- 
(438) 



God the Father, and preserved 
in Jesus Christ, and called : d 

a Lu. 6. 16. b Ac. 20. 32. 

c 1 Pe. 1. 5. d Ro. 8. 30. 



ers ; they made great pretensions to 
uncommon knowledge of religious 
things. In the course of this descrip- 
tion, the apostle contrasts their spirit 
with that of the archangel Michael 
(ver. 9), and declares that it was with 
reference to such a class of men tha 
Enoch long ago uttered a solemn pro 
phecy. vs. 14, 15. (5.) He calls to 
their remembrance the fact that it had 
been predicted that there would be such 
mockers in the last periods of the world, 
and the faith of true Christians, there- 
fore, was not to be shaken, but rather 
confirmed by the fact of their appear- 
ance, vs. 17 — 19. (6.) In view of 
these facts and dangers, the apostle 
addresses to them two exhortations : 
(a) To adhere steadfastly to the truths 
which they had embraced (vs. 20, 21); 
and (6) To endeavour to recall and 
save those who were led astray — care- 
fully guarding themselves from the 
same contamination while they sought 
to save others, vs. 22, 23. (7.) The 
epistle closes with an appropriate 
ascription of praise to him who was 
able to keep them from falling, and to 
present them faultless before his throne, 
vs. 24, 25. 

1 . Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, 
If the view taken in the Introduction 
to the epistle is correct, Jude sustained 



A. D. 66.] JUDE. 

2 Mercy unto you, and peace, 
and love, be multiplied. 



439 



3 Beloved, when I gave all 
diligence to write unto you of 



a near relation to the Lord Jesus, being, 
as James was, 'the Lord's brother.' 
Gal. i. 19. The reasons why he did 
not advert to this fact here, as an ap- 
pellation which would serve to desig- 
nate him, and as showing his authority 
to address others in the manner in 
which he proposed to do in this epistle, 
probably were: (1.) That the right 
to do this did not rest on his mere 
relationship to the Lord Jesus, but on 
the fact that he had called certain per- 
sons to be his apostles, and had author- 
ized them to do it ; and (2.) That a 
reference to this relationship, as a 
ground of authority, might have created 
jealousies among the apostles them- 
selves. We may learn from the fact 
that Jude merely calls himself < the ser- 
vant of the Lord Jesus/ that is, a 
Christian, (a) That this is a distinction 
more to be desired than would be a 
mere natural relationship to the Saviour, 
and consequently (6) That it is a 
higher honour than any distinction 
arising from birth or family. Comp. 
Matt. xii. 46 — 50. t And brother of 
James. See Intro., § 1. IT To them 
that are sanctified by God the Father. 
To those who are holy, or who are 
saints. Comp. Notes, Rom. i. 7. Phil, 
i. 1. Though this title is general, it 
can hardly be doubted that he had 
some particular saints in his view, to 
wit, those who were exposed to the 
dangers to which he refers in the epis- 
tle. See Intro., § 3. As the epistle 
was probably sent to Christians resid- 
ing in a certain place, it was not neces- 
sary to designate them more particularly, 
though it was often done. The Syriac 
version adds here, « To the Gentiles 
who are called, beloved of God the 
Father/ &c. IT And preserved in Je- 
sus Christ. See Notes on 1 Pet. i. 5. 
The meaning is, that they owed their 
preservation wholly to him, and if they 
were brought to everlasting life, it would 



be only by him. What the apostle 
here says of those to whom he wrote, 
is true of all Christians. They would 
all fall away and perish if it were not 
for the grace of God keeping them. 
IT And called. Called to be saints. See 
Notes on Rom. i. 7, and Notes on 
Eph. iv. 1. 

2. Mercy unto you, and peace, and 
love, be multiplied. This is not quite 
the form of salutation used by the other 
apostles, but it is one equally expres- 
sive of an earnest desire for their wel- 
fare. These things are mentioned as 
the choicest blessings which could be 
conferred on them : mercy — in the par- 
don of all their sins and acceptance 
with God ; peace — with God, with their 
fellow-men, in their own consciences, 
and in the prospect of death ; and love 
— ; to God, to the brethren, to all the 
world. What blessings are there which 
these do not include 1 

3. Beloved. An expression of strong 
affection used by the apostles when ad- 
dressing their brethren. Rom. i. 7 m . 1 
Cor. iv. 14; x. 14; xv. 58. 2 Cor. vii. 
1; xii. 19. Phil. ii. 12; iv. 1 ; and 
often elsewhere. % When 1 gave all 
diligence. When I applied my mind 
earnestly ; implying that he had re- 
flected on the subject, and thought par- 
ticularly what it would be desirable tn 
write to them. The state of mind re- 
ferred to is that of one who was pur- 
posing to write a letter, and who thought 
over carefully w T hat it would be proper 
to say. The mental process which 
lead to writing the epistle seems to 
have been this : (a) For some reasons 
— mainly from his strong affection for 
them — he purposed to write to them. 

(b) The general subject on which he 
designed to write was, of course, some- 
thing pertaining to the common salva- 
tion — for he and they were Christians 

(c) On reflecting what particular thing 
pertaining to this common salvation it 



440 

the common salvation, it was 
needful for me to write unto you, 
and exhort you that ye should 

a Ti. 1. 4. 

was best for him to write on, he felt 
that, in view of their peculiar dangers, 
it ought to be an exhortation to contend 
earnestly for the faith once delivered to 
them. Macknight renders this less cor- 
rectly, " Making all haste to write to 
you," &c. But the idea is rather that 
he set himself diligently and earnestly 
to write to them of the great matter in 
which they had a common interest. 

To write unto you of the common 
salvation. The salvation common to 
Jews and Gentiles, and to all who bore 
the Christian name. The meaning is, 
that he did not think of writing on 
any subject pertaining to a particular 
class or party, but on some subject in 
which all who were Christians had a 
common interest. There are great mat- 
ters of religion held in common by all 
Christians, and it is important for reli- 
gious teachers to address their fellow 
Christians on those common topics. 
After all, they are more important than 
the things which we may hold as pecu- 
liar to our own party or sect, and should 
be more frequently dwelt upon. IT It 
was needful for me to write to you. 
1 1 reflected on the general subject, 
prompted by my affectionate regard to 
write to you of things pertaining to 
religion in general, and, on looking at 
the matter, I found there was a particu- 
lar topic or aspect of the subject on 
which it was necessary to address you. 
I saw the danger in which you were 
from false teachers, and felt it not only 
necessary that I should write to you, 
but that I should make this the particu- 
lar subject of my counsels.' ^ And 
exhort you. 4 That I should make my 
letter in fact an exhortation on a par- 
ticular topic/ IT That ye should earn- 
estly contend. Comp. Gal. ii. 5. The 
word here rendered earnestly contend 
(irtayoU&o&M,) is one of those words 



[A- D. 68. 

earnestly contend 6 for the faith 
which was once delivered unto 
the saints. 

b Ga. 2. 5. 

used by the sacred writer* which hava 
allusion to the Grecian games. Comp. 
Notes on 1 Cor. ix. 24, seq. This 
word does not elsewhere occur in the 
New Testament. It means to contend 
upon ; i. e. for or about any thing, and 
would be applicable to the earnest effort 
put forth in those games to obtain the 
prize. The reference here, of course, 
is only to contention by argument, by 
reasoning, by holding fast the princi- 
ples of religion, and maintaining them 
against all opposers. It would not jus- 
tify < contention' by arms, by violence, 
or by persecution ; for (a) that is con- 
trary to the spirit of true religion, and 
to the requirements of the gospel else- 
where revealed ; (b) it is not demanded 
by the proper meaning of the word, all 
that that fairly implies being the effort 
to maintain truth by argument and by 
a steady life ; (c) it is not the most 
effectual way to keep up truth in the 
world to attempt to do it by force and 
arms. IT For the faith. The system 
of religion revealed in the gospel. It 
is called faith, because that is the car- 
dinal virtue in the system, and because 
all depends on that. The rule here 
will require that we should contend in 
this manner for all truth. IT Once de- 
livered unto the saints. The word here 
used (artai) may mean either once for 
all, in the sense that it was then com- 
plete, and would not be repeated ; or 
formerly, to wit, by the author of the 
system, Doddridge, Estius, and Beza 
understand it in the former way ; Mac- 
knight and others in the latter ; Benson 
improperly supposes that it means fully 
or perfectly. Perhaps the more usual 
sense of the word would be, that it was 
done once in the sense that it is not to 
be done again, and therefore in the 
sense that it was then complete, and 
that nothing was to be added to it 



JUDE. 



A. D. 66.] 



JUDE. 



441 



4 For there are certain men 



crept in unawares, 

a 2 Pe. 2. 1. 



who b wpre 

b Ko. 9. 22. 



There is indeed the idea that it was 
formerly done, but with this additional 
thought, that it was then complete. 
Comp. for this use of the Greek word 
rendered once, Heb. ix. 26, 27, 28 ; x. 
2. 1 Pet. iii. 18. The delivering of 
this faith to the saints here referred to, 
is evidently that made by revelation, or 
the system of truth which God has 
made known in his word. Every thing 
which He has revealed we are to de- 
fend as true. We are to surrender no 
part of it whatever, for every part of 
that system is of value to mankind. 
By a careful study of the Bible we are 
to ascertain what that system is, and 
then in all places, at all times, in all 
circumstances, and at every sacrifice, 
we are to maintain it. 

4. For there are certain men crept 
in unawares. The apostle now gives 
a reason for thus defending the truth, 
to wit, that there were artful and wicked 
men who had crept into the church, 
pretending to be religious teachers, but 
whose doctrines tended to sap the very 
foundations of truth. The apostle 
Peter, describing these same persons, 
says, < who privily shall bring in dam- 
nable heresies.' See Notes on 2 Pet. 
ii. 1. Substantially the same idea is 
expressed here by saying that they 
« had crept in unawares / that is, they 
had come in by stealth ; they had not 
come by a bold and open avowal of their 
real sentiments. They professed to 
teach the Christian religion, when in 
fact they denied some of its funda- 
mental doctrines ; they professed to be 
holy, when in fact they were living 
most scandalous lives. In all ages 
there have been men who were will- 
ing to do this for base purposes. 
^[ Who were before of old ordained to 
this condemnation. That is, to the 
condemnation (xplfia) which he pro- 
ceeds to specify. The statements in 



before of old ordained to this con- 
demnation; ungodly men, turning* 

c Ti. 1. 15, 16. 

the subsequent part of the epistle show 
that by the word used here he refers to 
the wrath that shall come upon the un 
godly in the future world. See vs. 5 f 
6, 7, 15. The meaning clearly is, that 
the punishment which befel the unbe- 
lieving Israelites, ver. 5 ; the rebel 
angels, ver. 6 ; the inhabitants of So- 
dom, ver. 7 ; and of which Enoch pro-, 
phesied, ver. 15, awaited those persons. 
The phrase of old (natoC) means long 
ago, implying that a considerable time 
had elapsed, though without determin- 
ing how much. It is used in *he New 
Testament only in the following places: 
Matt. xi. 21, "they would have re- 
pented long ago ,•" Mark xv. 44, 
" whether he had been any while 
dead Luke x. 13, " they had a great 
while ago repented ;" Heb. i. 1, " spake 
in time past unto the fathers 2 Pet. 
i. 9, " purged from his old sins," and 
in the passage before us. So far as 
this word is concerned, the reference 
here may have been to any former re- 
mote period, whether in the time of the 
prophets, of Enoch, or in eternity. It 
does not necessarily imply that it was 
eternal, though it might apply to that, 
if the thing referred to was, from other 
sources, certainly known to have been 
from eternity. It may be doubted, 
however, whether, if the thing referred 
to had occurred from eternity, this 
would have been the word used to ex- 
press it (Comp. Eph. i. 4), and it is 
certain that it cannot be proved from 
the use of this word (rfajtaO that 
the < ordination to condemnation' was 
eternal. Whatever may be referred 
to by that 1 ordaining to condemna- 
tion,' this word will not prove that it 
was an eternal ordination. All that is 
fairly implied in it vvin be met by the 
supposition that it occurred in any re- 
mote period, say in the time of the pro- 
phets. The word here rendered * before 



442 



JUDE. 



[A. D. 66. 



the grace of our God into lasci- 
viousness, and denying the only 

ordained? (rtpoysypafifAsvoi from rtpo- 
ypa<3>io) occurs in the New Testament 
only here and in the following places : 
Rom. xv. 4, twice, « Whatsoever things 
were written aforetime, were written 
for our learning Gal. iii. 1, " Jesus 
Christ hath been evidently set forth 
and Eph. iii. 3, "As 1 wrote afore in 
few words." Comp. Notes on Gal. iii. 
1. In these places there is evidently 
no idea implied of ordaining, or pre- 
ordaining, in the sense in which those 
words are now commonly understood. 
To that word there is usually attached 
the idea of designating or appointing 
as by an arbitrary decree ; but no such 
meaning enters into the word here used. 
The Greek word properly means, to 
write before ; then to have written be- 
fore ; and then, with reference to time 
future, to post up beforehand in writ' 
ing ; to announce by posting up on a 
written tablet, as of some ordinance, 
law, or requirement ; as descriptive of 
what will be, or what should be. Comp. 
Robinson's Lex. Burder (in Rosen- 
rmiller's Morgenland, in loc.) remarks 
that « the names of those who were to 
be tried were usually posted up in a 
public place, as was also their sentence 
after their condemnation, and that this 
was denoted by the same Greek word 
which the apostle uses here. Eisner,' 
says he, 4 remarks that the Greek au- 
thors use the word as applicable to 
those who, among the Romans, were 
said to be proscribed; that is, those 
whose names were posted up in a pub- 
lic place, whereby they were appointed 
to death, and in reference to whom a 
reward was offered to any one who 
would kill them.' The idea here clearly 
is that of some such designation before- 
hand as would occur if the persons had 
been publicly posted as appointed to 
death. Their names, indeed, were not 
mentioned, but there was such a de- 
scription of them, or of their character, 



Lord God, and our Lord Jesus 
Christ. 



that it was clear who were meant. In 
regard to the question what the apostle 
means by such a designation or appoint- 
ment beforehand, it is clear that he does 
not refer in this place to any arbitrary 
or eternal decree, but to such a designa- 
tion as was made by the facts to which 
he immediately refers — that is, to the di- 
vine prediction that there would be such 
persons (vs. 14, 15, 18) ; and to the con- 
sideration that in the case of the unbe- 
lieving Israelites, the rebel angels, and 
the inhabitants of Sodom, there was as 
clear a proof that such persons would 
be punished as if their names had been 
posted up. All these instances bore on 
just such cases as these, and in these 
facts they might read their sentence as 
clearly as if their names had been writ- 
ten on the face of the sky. This inter- 
pretation seems to me to embrace all 
that the words fairly imply, and all 
that the exigence of the case demands ; 
and if this be correct, then two things 
follow: (1.) That this passage should 
not be adduced to prove that God has 
from all eternity, by an arbitrary decree, 
ordained a certain portion of the race 
to destruction, whatever may be true on 
that point ; and (2.) That all aban- 
doned sinners now may see, in the facts 
which have occurred in the treatment 
of the wicked in past times, just as 
certain evidence of their destruction, if 
they do not repent, as if their names 
were written in letters of light, and if 
it were announced to the universe that 
they would be damned. IT Ungodly 
men. Men without piety or true reli- 
gion, whatever may be their pretensions. 
IT Turning the grace of our God into 
lasciviousness. Abusing the doctrines 
of grace so as to give indulgence to 
corrupt and carnal propensities. That 
is, probably, they gave this form to 
their teaching, as Antinomians have 
often done, that by the gospel tb<*y 
were released from the obligations of 



t. 0. 66.] 



JUDE. 



443 



5 I will therefore put you in 
remembrance, though ye once 

the law, and might give indulgence to 
their sinful passions in order that grace 
might abound. Antinomianism began 
garly in the world, and has always had 
§ wide prevalence. The liability of the 
doctrines of grace to be thus abused 
vas foreseen by Paul, and against such 
buse he earnestly sought to guard the 
Christians of his time. Rom. vi. 1, seq. 
\ And denying the only Lord God, 
and our Saviour Jesus Christ. See 
Notes on 2 Pet. ii. 1. That is, the 
doctrines which they held were in fact 
a denial of the only true God, and of 
the Redeemer of men. It cannot be 
supposed that they openly and formally 
did this, for then they could have made 
no pretensions to the name Christian, 
or even to religion of any kind ; but the 
meaning must be, that in fact the doc- 
trines which they held amounted to a 
uenial of the true God, and of the Sa- 
viour in his proper nature and work. 
Some have proposed to read this, " de- 
nying the only Lord God, even (xai) 
our Lord Jesus Christ but the Greek 
does not demand this construction even 
if it would admit it, and it is most in 
accordance with Scripture usage to re- 
tain the common translation. It may 
be added also that the common trans- 
lation expresses all that the exigence 
of the passage requires. Their doc- 
trines and practice tended as really to 
the denial of the true God as they did 
to the denial of the Lord Jesus. Peter (2 
Pet. ch. ii. 1) has adverted only to one 
aspect of their doctrine — that it denied 
the Saviour; Jude adds, if the com- 
mon reading be correct, that it tended 
also to a denial of the true God. The 
word God (&bv) is wanting in many 
manuscripts, and in the Vulgate and 
Coptic versions, and Mill, Hammond, 
and Bengel suppose it should be omitted. 
It is also wanting in the editions of 
Tittman, Griesbach, and Hahn. The 
a/nount of authority seems to be against 



knew this, how that a the Lord, 

a 1 Co. 10. 5—12. 

it. The word rendered Lord, in the 
phrase < Lord God,' is (SstfrtoV^s) des 
potes, and means here Sovereign, or 
Ruler, but it is a word which may be 
appropriately applied to the Lord Jesus 
Christ. It is the same word whiclr is 
used in the parallel passage in 2 Pet 
ii. 1. See it explained in the Notes on 
that verse. If the word ' God' is to be 
omitted in this place, the passage would 
be wholly applicable, beyond question, 
to the Lord Jesus, and would mean, 
« denying our only Sovereign and Lord, 
Jesus Christ.' It is perhaps impossible 
now to determine with certainty the 
true reading of the text ; nor is it very 
material. Whichever of the readings 
is correct; whether the word (§s6v) 
God is to be retained or not, the senti- 
ment expressed would be true, that 
their doctrines amounted to a practical 
denial of the only true God; and 
equally so that they were a denial of 
the only Sovereign and Lord of the true 
Christian. 

5. I will therefore put you in re 
membrance. < To show you what 
must be the doom of such men, I will 
call certain facts to your recollection, 
with which you are familiar, respecting 
the divine treatment of the wicked in 
times past.' IT Though ye once knew 
this. That is, you were formerly made 
acquainted with these things, though 
they may not be now fresh in your 
recollection. On the different signifi- 
cations affixed to the word once in this 
place, see Bloomfield Crit. Dig. in loc. 
The thing which seems to have been 
in the mind of the apostle was an in- 
tention to call to their recollection, as 
bearing on the case before him, facts 
with which they had formerly been 
familiar, and about which there was no 
doubt. It was the thing which we 
often endeavour to do in argument — to 
remind a person of some fact which he 
once knew very well, and which bean 



444 



having saved the people out of 
the land of Egypt, afterward de- 
stroyed a them that believed not. 

6 And the angels b which kept 
not their 1 first estate, but left 

a Nu. 14. 29, 37. He. 3. 16—19. 



JUDE. [A. D. 66. 

their own habitation, he hath re- 
served in everlasting chains, c 
under darkness, unto the judg- 
ment d of the great day. 



directly on the case. 11 How that the 
Lord, having saved the people out of 
the land of Egypt Corap. Notes on 
1 Cor. x. 5 — 12. The bearing of this 
fact on the case before the mind of 
Jude, seems to have been this, — that, 
as those who had been delivered from 
Egypt were afterward destroyed for 
their unbelief, or as the mere fact of 
their being rescued did not prevent de- 
struction from coming on them, so the 
fact that these persons seemed to be de- 
livered from sin, and had become pro- 
fessed followers of God, would not pre- 
vent their being destroyed if they led 
wicked lives. It might rather be infer- 
red from the example of the Israelites 
that they would be. IF Afterward (to 
Bsvif&pov, the second) ; that is, the 
second thing in order, or again. The 
expression is unusual in this sense, but 
the apostle seems to have fixed his 
mind on this event as a second great 
and important fact in regard to them. 
The first was that they were delivered ; 
the second, that they were destroyed. 
1 Destroyed them that believed not. 
That is, on account of their unbelief. 
They were not permitted to enter the 
promised land, but were cut off in the 
wilderness. See Notes on Heb. iii. 
16—19. 

6. And the angels which kept not 
their first estate. A second case denot- 
ing that the wicked would be punished. 
Comp. Notes on 2 Peter ii. 4. The 
word rendered estate (&%tiv) is in the 
margin, principality. The word pro- 
perly means beginning, commence- 
ment g and then that which sur- 
passes others, which is first, &c, in 
point of rank and honour; or preemi- 
nence, priority, precedence, princedom. 
Here it refers to the rank and dignity 



b Jno. 8. 44. 
c 2 Pe. 2. 4. 



' principality, 
d Re. 20. 10. 



which the angels had in heaven. That 
rank or preeminence they did not 
keep, but fell from it. On the word 
used here, comp. Eph. i. 2 ; iii. 10. Col. 
ii. 10, as applied to angels; 1 Cor. xv. 
24. Eph. vi. 12. Col. ii. 15, as ap 
plied to demons. IT But left their own 
habitation. To wit, according to the 
common interpretation, in heaven. The 
word rendered habitation (oixytr-pwv), 
occurs nowhere else in the New Tes- 
tament. It means here that heaven 
was their native abode or dwelling- 
place. They left it by sin ; but the 
expression here would seem possibly to 
mean that they became dissatisfied with 
their abode, and voluntarily preferred 
to change it for another. If they did 
become thus dissatisfied, the cause is 
wholly unknown, and conjecture is use- 
less. Some of the later Jews supposed 
that they relinquished heaven out of 
love for the daughters of men. Rob. 
Lex. He hath reserved in everlast- 
ing chains. See Notes on 2 Pet. ii. 4 
Peter says, < chains of darkness ;' that 
is, the darkness encompasses them as 
chains. Jude says that* those chains 
are < everlasting' (8s6fxo^ aihCoL$), 
Comp. Rom. i. 20 ; « his eternal power 
and Godhead." The word does not 
elsewhere occur. It is an appropriate 
word to denote that which is eternal ; 
and no one can doubt that if a Greek 
wished to express that idea, this would 
be a proper word to use. The sense 
is, that that deep darkness always en- 
dures ; there is no intermission ; no 
light ; it will exist forever. This pas- 
sage in itself does not prove that the 
punishment of the rebel angels will be 
eternal, but merely that they are kept 
in a dark prison in which there is no 
light, and which is to exist forever, 



A D. 66.] 



JUDE. 



445 



7 Even as Sodom a and Go- 
morrha, and the cities about 
them, in like manner giving 
themselves over to fornication, 

a Ge. 19. 24. 

with reference to the final trial. The 
punishment of the rebel angels after 
the judgment is represented as an ever- 
lasting fire, which has been prepared 
for them and their followers. Matt, 
xxv. 41. 

7. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha. 
Notes on 2 Pet. ii. 6. IT And the 
cities about them. Admah and Ze- 
boiim. Gen. xiv. 2. Deut. xxix. 23. 
Hos. xi. 8. There may have been other 
towns, also, that perished at the same 
time, but these are particularly men- 
tioned. They seem to have partaken 
of the same general characteristics, as 
neighbouring towns and cities gene- 
rally do. 1 In like manner. 4 In a 
manner like to these' Qtbv buoiov 
fovtocs 'tportov')* The Greek word 
these, is in the plural number. There 
has been much diversity in inter- 
preting this clause. Some refer it 
to the angels, as if it meant that the 
cities of Sodom and Gomorrah com- 
mitted sin in a way similar to the 
angels ; some suppose that it refers to 
the wicked teachers about whom Jude 
was discoursing, meaning that Sodom 
and Gomorrah committed the same 
kind of sins which they did ; some that 
the meaning is, that « the cities round 
about Sodom and Gomorrah* sinned in 
the same way as those cities ; and some 
that they were punished in the same 
manner, and were set forth like them 
as an example. I see no evidence that 
it refers to the angels ; and if it did, it 
would not prove, as some have sup- 
posed, that their sin was of the same 
kind as that of Sodom, since there 
might have been a resemblance in some 
respects, though not in all. I see no 
reason to believe, as Macknight holds, 
that it refers to false teachers, since 
that would be to suppose that the inha- 
38 



and going after 1 strange flesh, 
are set forth for an example, suf- 
fering the vengeance of eternal 
fire. 

1 other. 

bitants of Sodom copied their example 
long before the example was set. It 
seems to me, therefore, that the refer- 
ence is to the cities round about Sodom, 
and that the sense is, that they com- 
mitted iniquity in the same manner as 
the inhabitants of Sodom did, and were 
set forth in the same way as an example. 
H Going after strange flesh. Marg., other. 
The reference seems to be to the peculiar 
sin which, from the name Sodom, has 
been called sodomy. Comp. Rom. i. 
27. The meaning of the phrase going 
after, is, that they were greatly addicted 
to this vice. The word strange, or 
other, refers to that which is contrary 
to nature. Doddridge, however, ex- 
plains it, " going after strange and de- 
testable gratifications of their pampered 
and indulged flesh." IT Are set forth 
for an example. They furnish a 
warning against all such conduct, 
and a demonstration that punishment 
shall come upon the ungodly. The 
condemnation of any sinner, or of any 
class of sinners, always furnishes such 
a warning. See Notes on 2 Peter ii. 6. 
IT Suffering the vengeance of eternal 
fire. The word rendered suffering 
(vrte^ovtfcu) means properly holding 
under, as, for example, the hand ; then 
to hold towards any one, as the ear- 
to give attention ; then it is used as 
denoting to hold a discourse towards or 
with any one, or to hold satisfaction to 
any one, to make atonement ; anc 7 then 
as undergoing, paying, or suffering 
punishment, when united, as it is here, 
with the word Slxfjv {punishment, or 
vengeance). See Rob. Lex. Here 
it expresses the idea of undergoing 
punishment. The word properly 
agrees in the construction with cities 
(rto?.£&$), referring to Sodom and Go- 
morrah, and the cities around them; 



446 



JUDE. 



[A. D. 66. 



8 Likewise also these filthy 
dreamers defile a the flesh, de- 

a 2 Pe. 2. 10. 11. 



but the things affirmed relate to the 
inhabitants of those cities. The word 
vengeance means punishment ; that is, 
such vengeance as the Lord takes on the 
guilty, not vengeance for the gratification 
of private and personal feeling, but like 
that which a magistrate appoints for 
the maintainance of the laws ; such as 
justice demands. The phrase < eternal 
fire' is one that is often used to denote 
future punishment — as expressing the 
severity and intensity of the suffering. 
See Notes on Matt. xxv. 41. As here 
used, it cannot mean that the fires 
which consumed Sodom and Gomorrah 
were literally eternal, or were kept 
always burning, for that was not true. 
The expression seems to denote, in this 
connection, two things: (1.) That the 
destruction of the cities of the plain, 
with their inhabitants, was as entire 
and perpetual as if the fires had been 
always burning — the consumption was 
absolute and enduring — the sinners 
were wholly cut off, and the cities 
for ever rendered desolate ; and (2.) 
That, in its nature and duration, this 
was a striking emblem of the destruc- 
tion which will come upon the ungodly. 
I do not see that the apostle here 
means to affirm that those particular 
sinners who dwelt in Sodom would be 
punished forever, for his expressions do 
not directly affirm that, and his argu- 
ment does not demand it; but still, the 
image in his mind, in the destruction 
of those cities, was clearly that of the 
utter desolation and ruin of which this 
was the emblem ; of the perpetual de- 
struction of the wicked, like that of the 
cities of the plain. If this had not been 
the case, there was no reason why he 
should have used the word eternal — 
meaning here perpetual — since, if in 
his mind there was no image of future 
punishment, all that the argument 
^ould have demanded was tbe simple 



spise dominion, and speak evil 
of dignities. 



statement that they were cut off by 
fire. The passage, then, cannot be 
used to prove that the particular 
dwellers in Sodom will be punished 
forever — whatever may be the truth 
on that point; but that there is a 
place of eternal punishment, of which 
that was a striking emblem. The 
meaning is, that the case was one 
which furnished a demonstration of the 
fact that God will punish sin ; that 
this was an example of the punishment 
which God sometimes inflicts on sin- 
ners in this world, and a type of that 
eternal punishment which will be in- 
flicted in the next. 

8. Likewise also. In the same way 
do these persons defile the flesh, or re- 
semble the inhabitants of Sodom. That 
is, they practice the same kind of vices. 
What the apostle says is, that their 
character resembled that of the inhabit- 
ants of Sodom ; the example which he 
adduces of the punishment which was 
brought on those sinners, leaves it to be 
clearly inferred that the persons of 
whom he was speaking would be pun- 
ished in a similar manner. IT These 
filthy dreamers. The word filthy has 
been supplied by our translators, but 
there is no good reason why it should 
have been introduced. The Greek word 
(ivvrtvLa^ca) means to dream ; and is 
applied to these persons, as holding doc- 
trines and opinions which sustained 
the same relation to truth which dreams 
do to good sense. Their doctrines were 
the fruits of mere imagination, foolish 
vagaries, and fancies. The word occurs 
nowhere else in the New Testament 
except in Acts ii. 17, where it is ap- 
plied to visions in dreams. Defile 
the flesh. Pollute themselves; give 
indulgence to corrupt passions and ap- 
petites. See Notes on 2 Pet. ii. 10. 
t Despise dominion. The same Greek 
word is used here which occurs in 2 



A. D. 66.] 



JUDE. 



44? 



9 Yet Michael the archangel, 
when contending with the devil 

a Da. 12. L 

Pet. ii. 10. See Notes on that verse. 
IT And speak evil of dignities. Notes 
on 2 Pet. ii. 10. 

9. Yet Michael the archangel, &c. 
This verse has given more perplexity 
to expositors than any other part of the 
epistle ; and in fact the difficulties in 
regard to it have been so great that 
some have been led to regard the epis- 
tle as spurious. The difficulty has 
arisen from these two circumstances : 
(1.) Ignorance of the origin of what is 
said here of Michael the archangel, no- 
thing of this kind being found in the 
Old Testament ; and (2.) The impro- 
bability of the story itself, which looks 
like a mere Jewish fable. Peter in his 
Second Epistle, ch. ii. 2, made a gene- 
ral reference to angels as not bringing 
railing accusations against others before 
the Lord, but Jude refers to a particular 
case — the case of Michael when con- 
tending about the body of Moses. The 
methods proposed of reconciling the 
passage with the proper ideas of. inspi- 
ration have been various, though per- 
haps no one of them relieves it of all 
difficulty. It would be inconsistent 
with the design of these Notes to go 
into an extended examination of this 
passage. Those who wish to see a full 
investigation of it may consult Mi- 
chaelis' Intro, to the New Testament, 
vol. iv. pp. 378 — 393 ; Lardner, vol. vi. 
p. 312, seq.; Hug, Intro. § 183 ; Ben- 
son,^ loc; Rosenmiiller's Morgenland, 
iii. pp. 196, 197 ; and Wetstein in loc. 
The principal methods of relieving the 
difficulty have been the following: I. 
Some have supposed that the reference 
is to the passage in Zechariah, ch. iii. 
1, seq. "And he showed me Joshua 
the high-priest standing before the 
angei of the Lord, and Satan standing 
at his right hand to resist him. And 
the Lord said unto Satan, the Lord re- 
buke thee, O Satan," &c. The opinion 



he disputed about the body 
of Moses, b durst c not bring 

b Be. 34. 6. c Ex. 22. 28. 

that Jude refers to this passage was 
held by Lardner. But the objection;- 
to this are very obvious: (1.) There 
is no similarity between the two except 
the expression < the Lord rebuke thee.' 
(2.) The name Michael does not occur 
at all in the passage in Zechariah. (3.) 
There is no mention made of the < body 
of Moses' there, and no allusion to i 3 > 
whatever. (4.) There is no intima- 
tion that there was any such conten- 
tion about his body. There is a mere 
mention that Satan resisted the angel 
of the Lord, as seen in the vision, but 
no intimation that the controversy had 
any reference to Moses in any way. 
(5.) The reason of the resistance which 
Satan offered to the angel in the vision 
as seen by Zechariah is stated. It was 
in regard to the consecration of Joshua 
to the office of high-priest, implying a 
return of prosperity to Jerusalem, and 
the restoration of the worship of God 
there in its purity. Zech. iii. 2. To this 
Satan v?as of course opposed, and the 
vision represents him as resisting the 
angel in his purpose thus to set him 
apart to that office. These reasons 
seem to me to make it clear that Jude 
did not refer to the passage in Zecha- 
riah, nor is there any other place in the 
Old Testament to which it can be sup- 
posed he had reference. II. Hug sup- 
poses, Intro. § 183, that the reference 
here, as well as that in ver. 14, to the 
prophecy of Enoch, is derived from 
some apocryphal books existing in the 
time of Jude, and that thougn those 
books contained mere fables, the apostle 
appealed to them, not as conceding 
what was said to be true, but in order 
to refute and rebuke those against whom 
he wrote, out of books which they ad- 
mitted to be of authority. Arguments 
and confutations, he says, drawn from 
the sacred Scriptures would have been 
of no avail in reasoning with them, fo. 



448 



JUDE. 



[A. D. 68 



against him a railing accusa- 

a Zee. 3. 2. 



these they evaded (2 Pet. iii. 16), and 
there were no surer means of influencing 
them than those writings which they 
themselves valued as the sources of their 
peculiar views. According to this, the 
apostle did not mean to vouch for the 
truth of the story, but merely to make 
use of it in argument. The objection 
to this is, that the apostle does in fact 
seem to refer to the contest between 
Michael and the devil as true. He 
speaks of it in the same way in which 
he would have done if he had spoken 
of the death of Moses, or of his smiting 
the rock, or of his leading the children 
of Israel across the Ked Sea, or of any 
other fact in history. If he regarded it 
as a mere fable, though it would have 
been honest and consistent with all 
proper views of inspiration for him to 
have said to those against whom he 
argued, that on their own principles 
such and such things were true, yet it 
would not be honest to speak of it as a 
fact which he admitted to be true. Be- 
sides, it should be remembered that he 
is not arguing with them, in which case 
it might be admissible to reason in this 
way, but was making statements to 
others about them, and showing that 
they manifested a spirit entirely different 
from that which the angels evinced 
even when contending in a just cause 
against the prince of all evil. III. It 
has been supposed that the apostle 
quotes an apocryphal book existing in 
his time, containing this account, and 
that he means to admit that the account 
is true. Origen mentions such a book, 
called " The Assumption of Moses" 
(Avata^S * ov Mwcffcoj), as extant in 
his time, containing this very account 
of the contest between Michael and the 
devil about the oody of Moses. That 
was a Jewish Greek book, and Origen 
supposed that this was the source of 
the account here. That book is now 
lost. There is still extan* a book in 



tion, but said, The Lord ° rebuke 

thee. 

Hebrew, called nTttfl— 'the Death 
of Moses/ which some have supposed 
to be the book referred to by Origen. 
That book contains many fabulous 
stories about the death of Moses, and is 
evidently the work of some Jew draw- 
ing wholly upon his imagination. An 
account of it may be seen in Michaelis, 
Intro, iv. p. 381, seq. There is no 
reason to suppose that this is the same 
book referred to by Origen under the 
name of the « Assumption of Moses ;' 
and there is a moral certainty that an 
inspired writer could not have quoted 
it as of authority. Further, there can 
be no reasonable doubt that such a 
book as Origen refers to, under the title 
of the « Assumption of Moses/ was 
extant in his time, but that does not 
prove by any means that it was extant 
in the time of Jude, or that he quoted 
it. There is, indeed, no positive prool 
that it was not extant in the time of 
Jude, but there is none that it was, and 
all the facts in the case will be met by 
the supposition that it was written after- 
wards, and that the tradition on the sub- 
ject here referred to by Jude was incor- 
porated into it. IV. The remaining sup- 
position is, that Jude here refers to a pre- 
valent tradition among the Jews, and 
that he has adopted it as containing an 
important truth, and one which bore 
on the subject under discussion. In 
support of this, it may be observed, (a) 
that it is well known that there were 
many traditions of this nature among 
the Jews. See Notes on Matt. xv. 2. 
(6) That though many of these tradi- 
tions were puerile and false, yet there 
is no reason to doubt that some of them 
might have been founded in truth, (c) 
That an inspired writer might select 
those which were true, for the illustra- 
tion of his subject, with as much pro- 
priety as he might select what was 
written, since if what was thus handed 
down by tradition was true it was aa 



A. D. 66.] 



JUDE. 



proper to use it as to use a fact made 
known in any other way. (c?) That 
in fact such traditions were adopted by 
the inspired writers when they would 
serve to illustrate a subject which they 
were discussing. Thus Paul refers to 
the tradition about Jannes and Jambres 
as true history. See Notes on 2 Tim. 
iii. 8. (e) If, therefore, what is here 
said was true, there was no impropriety 
in its being referred to by Jude as an 
illustration of his subject. The only 
material question then is, whether it is 
true. And who can prove that it is 
not ? What evidence is there that it 
is not] How is it possible to demon- 
strate that it is not ? There are many 
allusions in the Bible to angels ; there 
is express mention of such an angel as 
Michael (Dan. xii. 1) ; there is frequent 
mention of the devil ; and there are 
numerous affirmations that both bad 
and good angels are employed in im- 
portant transactions on the earth. Who 
can prove that such spirits never meet, 
never come in conflict, never encounter 
each other in executing their purposes ? 
Good men meet bad men, and why is 
it any more absurd to suppose that 
good angels may encounter bad Ones ? 
It should be remembered, further, that 
there is no need of supposing that the 
subject of the dispute was about burying 
the body of Moses; or that Michael 
sought to bury it, and the devil endea- 
voured to prevent it — the one in order 
that it might not be worshipped by the 
Israelites, and the other that it might 
be. This indeed became incorporated 
into the tradition in the apocryphal 
books which were afterwards written ; 
but Jude says not one word of this, 
and is in no way responsible for it. 
Ail that hi says is, that there was a 
contention or dispute (Siaxpwousvos — 
fosftiystfo) respecting his body. But 
when it was, or what was the occasion, 
or how it was conducted, he does not 
state, and we have no right to ascribe 
to him sentiments which he has not 
expressed. If ever such a contro- 
38* 



versy of any kind existed rts^cting 
that body, it is all that Juae affirms, 
and is all for which he should be held 
responsible. The sum of the matter, 
then, it seems to me is, that Jude has, 
as Paul did on another occasion, adopted 
a tradition which was prevalent in his 
time; that there is nothing necessarily 
absurd or impossible in the fact affirmed 
by the tradition, and that no one can 
possibly demonstrate that it is not true. 
IF The archangel. The word archangel 
occurs only in one other place in the 
Scriptures. See Notes on 1 Thess. 
iv. 16. It means ruling or chief angel 
— the chief among the hosts of heaven. 
It is nowhere else applied to Michael, 
though his name is several times men- 
tioned. Dan. x. 13, 21; xii. 1. Rev 
xii. 7. t When contending. This word 
(8ukxpw6psvo$) refers here to a conten- 
tion or strife with words — a disputa- 
tion. Nothing farther is necessarily 
implied, for it is so used in this sense 
in the New Testament. Acts xi. 2, 12 
(Greek). IT He disputed (d^aiystfo). 
This word also would denote merely a 
controversy or contention of words 
Mark ix* 34. Acts xvii. 2, 17; xviii. 4, 
19; xxiv. 12. t About the body of 
Moses. The nature of this controversy 
is wholly unknown, and conjecture is 
useless. It is not said, however, that 
there was a strife which should get the 
body, or a contention about burying it, 
or any physical contention about it 
whatever. That there may have been, 
no one indeed can disprove, but all that 
the apostle says would be met by a sup- 
position that there was any debate of 
any kind respecting that body, in which 
Michael, though provoked by the oppo- 
sition of the worst being in the uni- 
verse, still restrained himself from any 
outbreaking of passion, and used only 
the language of mild but firm rebuke 
IT Durst not (pvx ttotyLqae)* * Bid not 
dare.' It is not said that he did not 
dare to do it because he feared Satan, 
but all that the word implies is met by 
supposing that he did not dare to do i 



€50 



JUDE. 



[A. D. 66. 



10 But these speak evil of 
those things which they know 
not : but what they know natu- 

because he feared the Lord, or because 
in any circumstances it would be wrong. 
IT A railing accusation. The Greek 
word is blasphemy. The meaning is, 
he did not indulge in the language of 
mere reproach ; and it is implied here 
that such language would be wrong any 
where. If it would be right to bring 
a railing accusation against any one it 
would be against the devil. f But 
said, The Lord rebuke thee. The word 
here used ^i7iLfifjcdco) means properly 
to put honour upon ; and then to ad- 
judge or confirm. Then it came to be 
used in the sense of commanding or 
restraining, as, e. g., the winds and 
waves. Matt. viii. 26. Mark iv. 39. 
Then it is used in the sense of admo- 
nishing strongly; of enjoining upon 
one, with the idea of censure. Matt, 
xvii. 18. Mark i. 25. Luke iv. 35, 41. 
This is the idea here — the expression 
of a wish that the Lord would take 
the matter of the dispute to him- 
self, and that he would properly re- 
strain and control Satan, with the 
implied idea that his conduct was 
wrong. The language is the same as 
that recorded in Zech. iii. 2, as used 
by t the angel' respecting Satan. But, 
as observed above, there is no reason 
to suppose that the apostle referred to 
thatr. The fact, however, that the angel 
is said to have used the language on 
that occasion may be allowed to give 
confirmation to what is said here, since 
it shows that it is language which an- 
gelic beings naturally employ. 

10. But these speak evil of those 
things which they know not. These 
false and corrupt teachers employ re- 
proachful language of those things 
which lie wholly beyond the reach of 
their vision. Notes on 2 Pet. ii. 12. 
ir But what they know naturally. As 
mere men $ as animals ; that is, in 
things pertaining to their physical na- 



rally, as brute beasts, in those 
things they corrupt themselves. 
11 Woe unto them! for they 

ture, or in which they are on a level 
with the brute creation. The reference 
is to the natural instincts, the impulses 
of appetite, and passion, and sensual 
pleasure. The idea of the apostle 
seems to be, that their knowledge was 
confined to those things. They did 
not rise above them to the intelligent 
contemplation of those higher things 
against which they used only the lan- 
guage of reproach. There are multi- 
tudes of such men in the world. To- 
wards high and holy objects they use 
only the language of reproach. They 
do not understand them, but they can 
rail at them. Their knowledge is con- 
fined to the subjects of sensual indul- 
gence, and all their intelligence in that 
respect is employed only to corrupt and 
destroy themselves. IT As brute beasts. 
Animals without intelligence. Notes 
on 2 Pet. ii. 12. H In those things 
they corrupt themselves. They live 
only for sensual indulgence, and sink 
deeper and deeper in sensual gratifica- 
tions. 

11. Woe unto them! See Matt. xi. 
21. ^ For they have gone in the way 
of Cain. Gen. iv. 5 — 12. That is, 
they have evinced disobedience and re- 
bellion as he did ; they have shown 
that they are proud, corrupt, and 
wicked. The apostle does not specify 
the points in which they had imitated 
the example of Cain, but it was proba- 
bly in such things as these — pride,, 
haughtiness, the hatred of religion, 
restlessness under the restraints of vir- 
tue, envy that others we*e more fa- 
voured, and a spirit of hatred of the 
brethren (comp. 1 John iii. 15) which 
would lead to murder. ^ And ran 
greedily after the error of Balaam for 
reward. The word rendered ran^rte- 
dty (sh%v&ltiav, from £x£«o), means 
to pour out, and then, when spoken of 
persons, that they are poured out, or 



A. D. 66.] 



JUDE. 



451 



have gone in the way of Cain, a 
and ran greedily after the error 
of Balaam b for reward, and per- 
ished in the gainsaying of Core. c 

that they rush tumultuously on an 
object ; that is, that they give them- 
selves up to any thing. The idea here 
is, that all restraint was relaxed, and 
that they rushed on tumultuously to 
any course of life that promised gain. 
See Notes on 2 Pet. ii. 15. IT And 
perished. They perish, or they will 
perish. The result is so certain that 
the apostle speaks of it as if it were 
already done. The thought seems to 
have lain in his mind in this manner: 
he thinks of them as having the same 
character as Korah, and then at once 
thinks of them as destroyed in the 
same manner, or as if it were already 
done. They are identified with him 
in their character and doom. The word 
rendered perish (artoMufu) is often used 
to denote future punishment. Matt. x. 
28, 39; xviii. 14. Mark i. 24. Luke 
xiii. 3, 5. John iii. 15, 16 ; x. 28. 2 
Thess. ii. 10. 2 Pet. iii. 9. IT In the 
gainsaying of Core. Of Korah. -Num. 
xvi. 1 — 30. The word gainsaying 
here means properly contradiction, or 
speaking against, then controversy, 
question, strife ; then contumely, re- 
proach, or rebellion, The idea here 
seems to be, that they were guilty of 
insubordination ; of possessing a rest- 
less and dissatisfied spirit ; of a desire 
to rule, &c. 

12. These are spots. See Notes on 
2 Pet. ii. 13. The word used by 
Peter, however, is not exactly the same 
as that used here. Peter uses the word 
orrtaot (spiloi); Jude c&ttfcafos (spila- 
des). The word used by Jude means 
properly a rock by or in the sea; a 
cliff, &c. It may either be a rock by 
the sea, against which vessels may be 
wrecked, or a hidden rock in the sea, 
on which they may be stranded at an 
unexpected moment. See Hesychius, 
and Pollux, as quoted in Wetstein, in 



12 These are spots d in your 
feasts of charity, when they feast 

a Ge. 4. 5. b Nu. 22. 7, 21. 

c Nu. 16. 1, ice. d 2 Pe. 2. 13. 

loc. The idea here seems to be, not 
that they were spots and blemishes in 
their sacred feasts, but that they were 
like hidden rocks to the mariner. As 
those rocks were the cause of shipwreck, 
so these false teachers caused others to 
make shipwreck of their faith. They 
were as dangerous in the church as 
hidden rocks are in the ocean. IF In 
your feasts of charity. Your feasts of 
love. The reference is, probably to the 
Lord's Supper, called a feast or festival 
of love, because (1.) It revealed the 
love of Christ to the world ; (2.) Be- 
cause it was the means of strengthening 
the mutual love of the disciples : a fes- 
tival which love originated, and where 
love reigned. It has been supposed 
by many, that the reference here is to 
festivals which were subsequently called 
Agapse, and which are now known as 
Love-feasts — meaning a festival imme- 
diately preceding the celebration of the 
Lord's Supper. But there are strong 
objections to the supposition that there 
is reference here to such a festival : 
(1.) There is no evidence, unless it be 
found in this passage, that such cele- 
brations had the sanction of the apos- 
tles. They are nowhere else mentioned 
in the New Testament, or alluded to, 
unless it is in 1 Cor. xi. 17 — 34, an 
instance which is mentioned only to 
reprove it, and to show that such ap- 
pendages to the Lord's Supper were 
wholly unauthorized by the original 
institution, and were liable to gross 
abuse. (2.) The supposition that they 
existed, and that they are referred to 
here, is not necessary in order to a pro- 
per explanation of this passage. All that 
it fairly means will be met by the sup- 
position that the reference is to the 
Lord's Supper. That was in every 
sense a festival of love or charity. The 
words will appropriately apply to that, 



452 



JUDE. 



[A. d. ea 



with you, feeding a themselves 
without fear : b clouds they are 
without water, carried c about of 
winds ; trees whose fruit d with- 

and there is no necessity of supposing 
any thing else in order to meet their 
full signification. (2.) There can be 
no doubt that such a custom early ex- 
isted in the Christian church, and ex- 
tensively prevailed ; but it can readily 
be accounted for without supposing 
that it had the sanction of the apostles, 
or that it existed in their time, (a) 
Festivals prevailed among the Jews, 
and it would not be unnatural to intro- 
duce them into the Christian church. 
(6) The custom prevailed among the 
heathen of having a 4 feast upon a 
sacrifice,' or in connection with a sacri- 
fice, and as the Lord's Supper com- 
memorated the great sacrifice for sin, 
it was not unnatural, in imitation of 
the heathen, to append a feast or festi- 
val to that ordinance, either before or 
after its celebration. (c) This very 
passage in Jude, with perhaps some 
others in the New Testament (comp. 
1 Cor. xi. 25. Acts ii. 46; vi. 2), 
might be so construed as to seem to 
lend countenance to the custom. For 
these reasons it seems clear to me that 
the passage before us does not refer to 
love-feasts ; and, therefore, that they 
are not authorized in the New Testa- 
ment. See, however, Coleman's An- 
tiquities of the Christian church, ch. 
xvi., § 13. When they feast with 
you. Showing that they were profes- 
sors of religion. Notes, 2 Pet. ii. 13. 
IT Feeding themselves without fear. 
That is, without any proper reverence 
or respect for the ordinance ; attending 
on the Lord's Supper as if it were an 
ordinary feast, and making it an occa- 
sion of riot and gluttony. See I Cor. 
xi. 20 — 22. 1T Clouds they are, Jsc 
Notes, 2 Pet. ii. 17. Comp. Eph. iv. 
14. IT Trees whose fruit wither eth. 
The idea here is substantially the same 
as that expressed by Peter, when he 



ereth, without fruit, twice e dead f 
plucked f up by the roots. 

a Ph. 3. 19. 6 Pr. 25. 14. 

c Ep. 4. 14. d Jno. 15. 4-6. 

eHe. 6. 4-6. /Mat. 15. 13. 

says that they were < wells without 
water;' and by him and Jude, when 
they say that they are like clouds driven 
about by the winds, that shed down 
no refreshing rain upon the earth. 
Such wells and clouds only disappoint 
expectations. So a tree that should 
promise fruit, but whose fruit should 
always wither, would be useless. The 
word rendered wither eth ($$wortUipwu) 
occurs nowhere else in the New Tes- 
tament. It means, properly, autum- 
nal; and the expression here denotes 
trees of autumn that is, trees stripped 
of leaves and verdure ; trees on which 
there is no fruit. Bob. Lex. The 
sense, in the use of this word, there- 
fore, is not exactly that which is ex- 
pressed in our translation, that the fruit 
has withered, but rather that they are 
like the trees of autumn, which are 
stripped and bare. So the Vulgate,. 
arbores autumnales. The idea of theu 
being without fruit is expressed in the 
next word. The image which seema 
to have been before the mind of Judt* 
in this expression, is that of the naked 
trees of autumn as contrasted with the 
bloom of spring and the dense foliage 
of summer. IT Without fruit. That 
is, they produce no fruit. Either they 
are wholly barren, like the barren fig- 
tree, or the fruit which was set never 
ripens, but falls off. They are, there- 
fore, useless as religious instructors— as 
much so as a tree is which produces 
no fruit. IT Twice dead. That is, 
either meaning that they are seen to be 
dead in two successive seasons, show- 
ing that there is no hope that they will 
revive and be valuable ; or, using the 
word twice to denote emphasis, mean- 
ing that they are absolutely or alto- 
gether dead. Perhaps the idea is, thai 
successive summers and winters have 
passed over them, and that no signs of 



A. D. 66.] JUDE. 453 

13 Raging waves" of the sea, served the blackness of darkness 
foaming out their own shame; forever. 

wandering b stars, to whom is re- 14 And Enoch also the seventh 

a Is. 57. 20. b Re. 8. 10, 11. 



life appear. 1 Plucked up hy the 
roots. The wind blows them down, or 
they are removed by the husbandman 
as only cumbering the ground. They 
are not cut down — leaving a stump 
that might sprout again — but they are 
extirpated root and branch; that is, 
they are wholly worthless. There is 
a regular ascent in this climax. First, 
the apostle sees a tree apparently of 
autumn, stripped and leafless ; then he 
sees it to be a tree that bears no fruit ; 
then he sees it to be a tree over which 
successive winters and summers pass 
and no signs of life appear ; then as 
wholly extirpated. So he says it is 
with these men. They produce no 
fruits of holiness ; months and years 
ahow that there is no vitality in them ; 
;hey are fit only to be extirpated and 
last away. Alas ! how many professors 
□f religion are there, and how many re- 
igious teachers, who answer to this 
iescription ! 

13. Raging waves of the sea. Comp. 
2 Pet. ii. 18. They are like the wild 
and restless waves of the ocean. The 
image here seems to be, that they were 
aoisy and bold in their professions, and 
were as wild and ungovernable in their 
passions as the billows of the sea. 
IT Foaming out their own shame. The 
waves are lashed into foam, and break 
and dash on the shore. They seem to 
produce nothing but foam, and to pro- 
claim their own shame, that after all 
their wild roaring and agitation they 
should effect no more. So with these 
aoisy and vaunting teachers. What 
Shey impart is as unsubstantial anc 
valueless as the foam of the ocean- 
waves, and the result is in fact a pro- 
clamation of their own shame. Men 
with so loud professions should pro- 
fa ee much more. IT Wandering stars. 



The word rendered ivandering (jtbxtv- 
rjtat) is that from which we have 
derived the word planet. It properly 
means one who wanders about ; a 
wanderer; and was given by the an- 
cients to planets because they seemed 
to wander about the heavens, now for- 
ward and now backward among the 
other stars, without any fixed law. 
Pliny, N. His. ii. 6. Cicero, however, 
who saw that they were governed by 
certain established laws, says that the 
name seemed to be given to them with- 
out reason. De Nat. Deo. ii. 20. So 
far as the words used are concerned? 
the reference may be either to the 
planets, properly so called, or to comets, 
or to ignes fatui, or meteors. The 
proper idea is that of stars that have no 
regular motions, or that do not move in 
fixed and regular orbits. The laws of 
the planetary motions were not then 
understood, and their movements seemed 
to be irregular and capricious; and 
hence, if the reference is to them, they 
might be regarded as not an unapt illus- 
tration of these teachers. The sense 
seems to be, that the aid which we de- 
rive from the stars, as in navigation, is in 
the fact that they are regular in their 
places- and movements, and thus the 
mariner can determine his position. If 
they had no regular places and move- 
ments, they would be useless to the 
seaman. So with false religious teach- 
ers. No dependence can be placed on 
them. It is not uncommon to compare 
a religious teacher to a star. Rev. i. 16 ; 
ii. I. Comp. Rev. xxii. 16. IT To whom 
is reserved the blackness of darkness 
for ever. Not to the stars, but to the 
teachers. The language here is the 
same as in 2 Pet. ii. 17. See Notes on 
that verse. 

14. And Enoch also the seventh from 



454 



JUDE. 



from Adam, prophesied of these, 
saying, Behold, the a Lord com- 
et Zee. 14. 5. 

Adam. The seventh in the direct line 
of descent from Adam. The line of 
descent is Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, 
Mahaleel, Jared, Enoch. Gen. v. 3, seq. 
On the character of Enoch, see Notes 
on Heb. xi. 5. IT Prophesied of these. 
Uttered prophesies applicable to these 
men, or respecting just such men as 
thess. It is not necessarily meant 
.hat he had these men specifically in 
his eye, but all that is fairly implied is, 
that his predictions were descriptive 
of them. There is no mention made 
m the writings of Moses of the fact 
that Enoch was a prophet ; but nothing 
is more probable in itself, and there is 
sio absurdity in supposing that a true 
prophecy, though unrecorded, might be 
handed down by tradition. See Notes 
on 2 Tim. iii. 8. Jude 9. The source 
from which Jude derived this passage 
respecting the prophecy of Enoch, is 
unknown. Amidst the multitude of 
traditions, however, handed down by 
the Jews from a remote antiquity, 
though many of them were false, and 
many of a trifling character, it is rea- 
sonable to presume that some of them 
were true and were of importance. 
No man can prove that the one before 
us is not of that character ; no one can 
show that an inspired writer might not 
be led to make the selection of a true 
prophecy from a mass of traditions, 
and as the prophecy before us is one 
that would be every way worthy of a 
prophet, and worthy to be preserved, its 
quotation furnishes no argument against 
the inspiration of Jude. There is no 
clear evidence that he quoted it from 
any book extant in his time. There is 
indeed now an apocryphal writing 
called « The Book of Enoch,' contain- 
ing a prediction strongly resembling 
this, but there is no certain proof that 
it existed so early as the time of Jude, 
nor if it did, is it absolutely certain 



eth with 
saints, 



[A. D. 66 
ten thousand of hk 



that he quoted from it. Both Jude 
and the author of that book may have 
quoted a common tradition of their 
time, for there can be no doubt that the 
passage referred to was handed down 
by tradition. The passage as found in 
the < Book of Enoch' is in these words : 
" Behold he comes with ten thousand 
of his saints, to execute judgment upon 
them, and destroy the wicked, and re- 
prove all the carnal, for every thing 
which the sinful and ungodly have 
done and committed against him." ch. 
ii. Bib. Repository, vol. xv. p. 86. If 
the Book of Enoch was written after 
the time of Jude, it is natural to sup- 
pose that the prophecy referred to by 
him, and handed down by tradition, 
would be inserted in it. This book 
was discovered in an ^Ethiopic ver- 
sion, and was published with a transla- 
tion by Dr. Laurence in Oxford, in 
1821, and republished in 1832. A full 
account of it and its contents may be 
seen in an article by Prof. Stuart in 
the Bib. Repository for January 1840, 
pp. 86—137. IT The Lord cometh. 
That is, the Lord will come. See Notes 
on 1 Cor. xvi. 22. It would seem from 
this to have been an early doctrine tha* 
the Lord would descend to the earth 
for judgment. IT With ten thousand 
of his saints. Or, of his holy ones. 
The word saints we now apply com- 
monly to redeemed saints, or to Chris- 
tians. The original word is, however, 
applicable to all who are holy, angels 
as well as men. The common repre- 
sentation in the Scriptures is, that he 
would come attended by the angels 
(Matt. xxv. 31), and there is doubtless 
allusion here to such beings. It is a 
common representation in the Old Tes- 
tament also that God, when he mani- 
fests himself, is accompanied by great 
numbers of heavenly beings. See Pa 
lxviii. 17. Deut. xxxiii. 2. 



A. If. 66.] 



JUDE. 



455 



15 To execute judgment upon 
all, ° and to convince all that are 
ungodly among them of all their 
ungodly deeds which they have 
ungodly committed, and of all 
their hard speeches 13 which un- 
godly sinners have spoken against 
him. 

15. To execute judgment upon all. 
That is, he shall come to judge all the 
dwellers upon the earth, good and bad. 
IF And to convince all. The word con- 
vince we now use commonly in a some- 
what limited sense, as meaning to sa- 
tisfy a man's own mind either of the 
truth of some proposition, or of the 
fact that he has done wrong, as being 
in this latter sense synonymous with 
the word convict. This conviction is 
commonly produced by argument, or 
truth, and is not necessarily followed 
by any sentence of disapprobation, or 
by any judicial condemnation. But 
this is clearly not the sense in which 
the word is used here. The purpose 
of the coming of the Lord will not 
be to convince men in that sense, 
though it is undoubtedly true that the 
wicked will see that their lives have 
been wrong; but it will be to pronounce 
a sentence on them as the result of the 
evidence of their guilt. The Greek word 
which is here used occurs nowhere else 
in the New Testament. ^ All that are 
ungodly among them. All that are 
not pious; all that have no religion. 
IT Of all their ungodly deeds, &c. Of 
their wicked actions and words. This 
is the common doctrine of the Bible, 
that all the wicked actions and words 
of men will be called into judgment. 
In regard to this passage, thus quoted 
from an ancient prqjghecy, we may re- 
mark : (1.) That the style bears the 
marks of its being a quotation, or of its 
being preserved by Jude in the lan- 
guage in which it had been handed 
down by tradition. It is not the style 
of Jude. It. is not so terse, pointed, 



16 These are murmurers, 
complainers, walking after their 
own lusts ; and their mouth 
speaketh great swelling words, 
having men's persons in admira- 
tion because of advantage. 

a Re. 20. 13. b Ps. 73. 9. 



energetic. (2.) It has every probable 
mark of its having been actually deli- 
vered by Enoch. The age in which he 
lived was corrupt. The world was 
ripening for the deluge. He was him- 
self a good man, and as would seem, 
perhaps, almost the only good man of 
his generation. Nothing would be 
more natural than that he should be re- 
proached by hard words and speeches, 
and nothing more natural than that he 
should have pointed the men of his own 
age to the future judgment. (3.) The 
doctrine of the final judgment, if this 
was uttered by Enoch, was an early 
doctrine in the world. It was held 
even in the first generations of the race. 
It was one of those great truths early 
communicated to man to restrain him 
from sin, and to lead him to prepare for 
the great events wliich are to occur on 
the earth. The same doctrine has been 
transmitted from age to age, and is now 
one of the most important and the most 
affecting that refers to the final destiny 
of men. 

16. These are murmurers. The 
word here used does not elsewhere 
occur, though the word murmur is fre- 
quent. Matt. xx. 11. Luke v. 30. John 
vi. 41, 43, 61 ; vii. 32. 1 Cor. x. 10. 
Comp. John vii. 12. Acts vi. 1. Phil, 
ii. 14. 1 Pet. iv. 9. The sense is that 
of repining or complaining under the 
allotments of Providence, or finding 
fault with God's plans, and purposes, 
and doings, % Complainers. Literally 
finding fault with one's own lot (jjls/j,^- 
uoopos). The word does not elsewhere 
occur in the New Testament ; the 
thing often occurs in this world. Nc* 



458 



JUDE. 



[A. D. 66. 



17 But, beloved, remember 
ye the words which were spoken 
before of the apostles of our 
Lord Jesus Christ ; 

18 How that they told you a 
there should be mockers in the 
last time, who should walk after 
their own ungodly lusts. 



thing is more common than for men to 
complain of their lot ; to think that it 
is hard ; to compare theirs with that 
of others, and to blame God for not 
having made their circumstances differ- 
ent. The poor complain that they are 
not rich like others; the sick that they 
are not well ; the enslaved that they 
are not free ; the bereaved that they are 
deprived of friends ; the ugly that they 
are not beautiful ; those in humble life 
that their lot was not cast among the 
great and the gay. The virtue that is 
opposed to this is contentment — a virtue 
of inestimable value. See Notes on 
Phil. iv. 11. «J Walking after their 
own lusts. Giving unlimited indulgence 
to their appetites and passions. See 
Notes on 2 Pet. iii. 3. IT And their 
mouth speaketh great swelling words. 
Notes on 2 Pet. ii. 18. % Having men's 
persons in admiration. Showing great 
respect to certain persons, particularly 
the rich and the great. The idea is, 
that they were not just in the esteem 
which they had for others, or that they 
did not appreciate them according to 
their real worth, but paid special atten- 
tion to one class in order to promote 
their selfish ends. IT Because of ad- 
vantage. Because they hoped to derive 
some benefit to themselves. 

17, 18. But, beloved, remember ye, 
&c. There is a striking similarity be- 
tween these two verses and 2 Peter iii. 
1 — 3. It occurs in the same connec- 
tion, following the description of the 
false and dangerous teachers against 
whom the apostle would guard them, 
and couched almost in the same words. 



19 These be they who sepa- 
rate b themselves, sensual, having 
not the Spirit. 

20 But ye, beloved, building c 
up yourselves on your most holy 
faith, praying d in ihe Holy 
Ghost, 

a 1 Ti. 4. 1. b He. 10. 25. c Col. 2. 7. 
d Ep. 6. 18. 



See the passage explained in the Notes 
on Peter. When Jude (ver. 17) entreats 
them to remember the words which 
were spoken by the apostles, it is not 
necessarily to be inferred that he was 
not himself an apostle, for he is speak- 
ing of what was past, and there might 
have been a special reason why he 
should refer to something which they 
would distinctly remember which had 
been spoken by the other apostles on 
this point. Or it might be that he 
meant also to include himself among 
them, and to speak of the apostles col- 
lectively without particularly specifying 
himself. ^Mockers. The word ren- 
dered mockers here is the same which 
in the parallel place in 2 Pet. iii. 3 is 
rendered scoffers. Peter has stated 
more fully what was the particular sub- 
ject on which they scoffed, and has 
shown that there was no occasion for 
it. 2 Pet. iii. 4, seq. 

1 9. These be they who separate them- 
selves. That is, from their brethren, 
and from the work of benevolence and 
truth. Comp. Rom. xvi. 17. Judges 
v. 16, 23. % Sensual. Under the in- 
fluence of gross passions and appetites, 
f Having not the Spirit. The Holy 
Spirit, or the spirit of true religion. 

20. But ye, beloved, building up 
yourselves on your most holy faith. 
Comp. Notes on vet. 3. On the word 
building, see Notes on 1 Cor. iii. 9, 
10. Eph. ii. 20. It is said here that 
they were to < build up themselves; 1 
that is, they were to act as moral and 
responsible agents in this, or were to 
put forth tbeir own proper exertions to 



A.D.66.] JUDE. 457 

21 Keep a yourselves in the 22 And of some have com 

love of God, looking h for the passion, making a difference : 

mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ 23 And others save with fear 

unto eternal life. a Jno. is. 9, 10. b Ti. 2. 13. 



do it. Dependent as we are, and as 
all persons with correct views will feel 
themselves to be, yet it is proper to en- 
deavour to do the work of religion as 
M we had ample power ourselves. See 
Notes on Phil. ii. 12. The phrase 
< most holy faith' here refers to the sys- 
tem of religion which was founded on 
faith ; and the meaning is, that they 
ahould seek to establish themselves 
m>st firmly in the belief of the doc- 
trines, and in the practice of the duties 
of that system of religion. H Praying 
in the Holy Ghost. See Notes on Eph. 
vi. 18. 

21. Keep yourselves in the love of 
God. Still adverting to their own 
agency. On the duty here enjoined, 
see Notes on John xv. 9. The phrase 
<the love of God' may mean either 
God's love to us, or our love to him. 
The latter appears, however, to be 
the sense here, because it is not a 
subject which could be enjoined, that 
we should keep up GooVs love to- us. 
That is a point over which we can 
have no control, except so far as it 
may be the result of our obedience ; but 
we may be commanded to love him, 
and to keep ourselves in that love. 
IT Looking for the mercy of our Lord 
Jesus Christ. Particularly when he 
shall come to receive his people to him- 
self. See Notes on Titus ii. 13. 2 Pet. 
iii. 12. 2 Tim. iv. 8. 

22. And of some have compassion. 
This cannot be intended to teach that 
they were not to have compassion for 
all men, or to regard the salvation of 
all with solicitude, but that they were 
to have special and peculiar compas- 
sion for a certain class of persons, or 
were to approach them with feelings 
appropriate to their condition. The 
fj§a is, *hat the pceuli^: SeH&g iz> be 

89 



manifested towards a certain class of 
persons in seeking their salvation was 
tender affection and kindness. They 
were to approach them in the gentlest 
manner, appealing to them by such 
words as love would prompt. Others 
were to be approached in a different 
manner, indicated by the phrase, « save 
with fear.' The class here referred to 
to whom pity (itesrts) was to be 
shown, and in whose conversion and 
salvation tender compassion was to be 
employed, appear to have been the 
timid, the gentle, the unwary ; those 
who had not yet fallen into dangerous 
errors, but who might be exposed to 
them ; those, for there are such, who 
would be more likely to be influenced 
by kind words and a gentle manner 
than by denunciation. The direction 
then amounts to this, that while we are 
to seek to save all, we are to adapt our- 
selves wisely to the character and cir- 
cumstances of those whom we seek to 
save. See Notes on 1 Cor. ix. 19 — 22. 
IT Making a difference. Making a 
distinction between them, not in regard 
to your desires for their salvation, or 
your efforts to save them, but to the 
manner in which it is done. To be 
able to do this is one of the highest 
qualifications to be sought by one who 
endeavours to save souls, and is indis- 
pensable for a good minister of the 
gospel. The young, the tender, the 
delicate, the refined, need a different 
kind of treatment from the rough, the 
uncultivated, the hardened. This wis- 
dom was shown by the Saviour in all 
his preaching ; it was eminent in the 
preaching of Paul. 

23. And others. Another class 
those who were of such a character, or 
in such circumstances^ that a more bold r 



45S 



JUDE. 



[A. D. 



pulling* f/jewi out of the fire; 
hating even the garment 1 spotted 
by the flesh. 

24 Now c unto him that is 

a Zee. 3. 2-5. b Re. 3. 4, 18. 

be better adapted to them. IT Save with 
fear* That is, by appeals adapted to 
produce fear. The idea seems to be 
that the arguments on which they 
relied were to be drawn from the 
dangers of the persons referred to, or 
from the dread of future wrath. It is 
undoubtedly true that while there is a 
class of persons who can be won to 
embrace religion by mild and gentle 
persuasion, there is another class who 
can be aroused only by the terrors of 
the law. Every method is to be em- 
ployed, in its proper place, that we 
1 by all means may save some/ ^Pull- 
ing them out of the fire. As you 
would snatch persons out of the fire ; 
or as you would seize on a person that 
was walking into a volcano. Then, a 
man would not use the mild and gentle 
language of persuasion, but by word 
and gesture show that he was deeply in 
earnest. Hating even the garment 
spotted by the flesh. The allusion 
here is not quite certain, though the 
idea which the apostle meant to convey 
is not difficult to be understood. By 
< the garment spotted by the flesh' there 
may be an allusion to a garment worn 
by one who had had the plague, or 
some offensive disease which might be 
communicated to others by touching 
even the clothing which they had worn. 
Or there may be an allusion to the 
ceremonial law of Moses, by which 
all those who came in contact with 
dead bodies were regarded as unclean, 
Lev, xxi. 11. Num. vi. 6; ix. 6 ; 
six. 11; or there may be an allusion 
to the case mentioned in Lev. xv. 
4, 10, 17; or perhaps to a case of 
leprosy. In all such instances, there 
would be the idea that the thing re- 
ferred to by which the garment had 
been spotted* was polluting, contagious, 



able to keep d you from falling, 
and to e present you faultless be- 
fore the presence of his glor/y 
with exceeding joy, 

c Ro. 16. 25-27. d 2 Ti. 4. 18. e Co. 1, 

or loathsome, and that it was proper 
not even to touch such a garment, oi 
to come in contact with it in any way 
To something of this kind the apostle 
compares the sins of the persons hers 
referred to. While the utmost effort 
was to be made to save them, they were 
in no way to partake of their sins ; 
their conduct was to be regarded aa 
loathsome and contagious ; and those 
who attempted to save them were to 
take every precaution to preserve 
their own purity. There is much wis- 
dom in this counsel. While we en- 
deavour to save the sinner, we cannot 
too deeply loathe his sins ; and in ap- 
proaching some classes of sinners there 
is need of as much care to avoid being 
defiled by them, as there would be to 
escape the plague if we had any trans- 
action with one who had it. Not a 
few have been deeply corrupted in their 
attempts to reform the polluted. There 
never could be, for example, too much 
circumspection and prayer for personal 
safety from pollution, in attempting to 
reform licentious and abandoned fe 
males. 

24. Now unto him that is able to 
keep you from falling. This ascrip- 
tion to one who was able to keep them 
from falling, is made in view of the 
facts adverted to in the epistle — the 
dangers of being led away by the arts 
and the example of these teachers of 
error. Comp. ver. 3. On the ascription 
itself, comp. Notes on Rom. xvi. 25— 
27. The phrase < to keep from falling' 
means here to preserve from falling 
into sin, from yielding to temptation, 
and dishonouring their religion. Tha 
word used (arttfae-tftfos) occurs nowhere 
else in the New Testament. It mean* 
properly, not stumbling, as of a horse 
then without falling into Bin, hkm& 



A.D. 66.] 



JUDE. 



459 



25 To fl the only wise God 
our Saviour, be glory and ma- 
tt 1 Ti. 1. 17. 



less. It is God only who, amidst the 
temptations of the world, can keep us 
from falling ; but, blessed be his name, 
he can do it, and if we trust in him he 
will. 1T And to present you faultless. 
The word here rendered faultless is the 
same which is rendered unblamable in 
Col. i. 22. See the sentiment here ex- 
pressed explained in the Notes on that 
passage. IT Before the presence of his 
glory. In his own glorious presence ; 
before himself encompassed with glory 
in heaven. The saints are to be pre- 
sented there as redeemed and sanc- 
tified, and as made worthy by grace 
to dwell there for ever. ^With ex- 
ceeding joy. With the abounding joy 
that they are redeemed ; that they are 
rescued from sorrow, sin, and death, 
and that heaven is to be their eternal 
home. Who now can form an adequate 
idea of the happiness of that hour] 
25. To the only wise God. See 
Notes on Rom. xvi. 27. 1 Tim. i. 17. 
IT Our Saviour. The word Saviour 
may be appropriately applied to God 
as such, because he is the great author 
tif salvation, though it is commonly 
applied to the Lord Jesus Christ. That 
it may have been designed that it 
should be applied here to the Lord 
Jesus, no one can certainly deny, nor 
can it be demonstrated that it was; 
and in these circumstances, as all 
that is fairly implied in the language 



jesty, dominion and power, both 
now and ever. Amen. 



may be applied to God as such, it ia 
most natural to give the phrase that in- 
terpretation. 11 Be glory and majesty. 
1 Tim. i. 17. Rom. xvi. 17. «f Domi 
nion and power, Sec. See Matt. vi. 13. It 
is common in the Scriptures to ascribe 
power, dominion, and glory to God, ex- 
pressing the feeling that all that is 
great and good belongs to him, and the 
desire of the heart that he may reign 
in heaven and on earth. Comp. Rev. 
iv. 11; xix. ft With the expression 
of such a desire it was not inappropriate 
that this epistle should be closed — and it 
is not inappropriate that this volume 
should be closed with the utterance 
of the same wish. In all our affections 
and aspirations may God be supreme ; 
in all the sin and wo which prevail 
hjere below may we look forward with 
strong desire to the time when his do- 
minion shall be set up over all the 
earth ; in all our own sins and sorrows 
be it ours to look onward to the time 
when in a purer and happier world 
his reign may be set up over our own 
souls, and when we may cast every 
crown at his feet and say, " Thou art 
worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and 
honour* and power; for thou hast 
created all things, and for thy pleasure 
they are and were created." " Alleluia ; 
salvation, and glory, and honour, and 
power, unto the Lord our God." Rev, 
iv. 11 ; xix. 1. 



IIS BHB. 



